Girls und Panzer - Re:Start
by zaochron333
Summary: A second chance. A chance to go back and fix everything. It was a wish. A desire to many. And when one received it, how and what they would be willing to change it?
1. Here we go again

_She is radiant as ever._

 _And still clumsy as ever. And yet, I'm still admired you, Miho._

 _You commanded us. You moved us like your own limbs._

 _Against the All-Star University team. Against all odds._

 _We won. We triumphed. Because of you._

 _And you have saved your beloved school once more._

 _We're happy for you. I'm...happy for you._

 _And yet..._

 _I didn't want you to go, Miho._

 _I didn't want you to leave Kuromorimine._

 _If it wasn't because of me...from that fateful final match...the 62nd…_

 _Then you might..._

 _If there was a chance..._

 _If there was a second chance._

 _Then I..._

 _I can…_

 _You can..._

…

…

…

"Erika-chan!"

"…?" It was like an alarm call, pulling her mind away from some blank zone.

"Are you alright? You're spacing out."

"L-Leila?"

Before Erika's eyes, there stood twin-tailed girl named Leila Rou, her childhood friend. Despite her childish attitude and overreact (occasionally), Erika still considered her a most trusted friend.

"You are actually remembered me! I'm so glad!" She expressed with joy.

 _What is she talking about?_ Eriika was puzzled by Leila's expression, like it was so long for the two met together again or something.

"H-huh? Isn't that natural? You always stick around with me all the time."

"E-heeh?! All-all the time…?" Her face was redden. "Well you're technically right…we did…together all the time…"

Erika could never fully understand what's on that girl's mind, sighing lightly, Erika continued.

"Where's Sheska, Kai and Cadenza anyway? Are they not here yet?"

"Uhm...Erika-chan? Who are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, you didn't drink the coffee this morning or..." Erika noticed there's something different about Leila. Her twin-tails were shorter than yesterday, even her…chest seemed to be smaller?

"Aren't you...a bit shorter than before?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me or something?" Leila's face was still red but the expression was shifted to slightly irritate. "Just letting you know that I have a good diet on my own, ok? And I drink milk every night before I go to sleep!"

"Look, I…"

Something then had caught Erika's eyes as it was fluttering gently in the air.

It was a single pink-colored pedal. And it was not just one, but many and more, dancing in the air. They're everywhere.

 _...Sakura (cherry blossom)? At this month? Wait a minute…Isn't it September?_

At this moment, Erika turned her head from left to right, registering the surroundings.

"This is...the school entrance...? We already returned to Kuromorimine? Since when...?"

 _Weren't we on the Ooarai School Carrier after that match with All-Star University team? When did we return?_

"What are you talking about? Of course, this is Kuromorimine and it's our first day of school."

"…First day?"

"Well yes! It's our first day of middle school."

 _Middle…school…?_

 _…what is going on?_

In her train of thought, Erika than noticed something else.

 _Wait a minute, Kuromorimine's entrance was different than before...wait…it looks rather old and…familiar?_

"Look! Look! It's Kuromorimine parade!" A voice of a female student had Erika's mind changed her focus.

 _Parade?_

Before her eyes, there was already a gathered crowd of students and people, even camera crews were on both sides of the road, watching a column of Panzer IIIs and Panzer 35(t)s rolled in with might.

"They're so cool~!"

"..."

"Look. Look! Is that who I think it is?"

Followed the girls' pointing finger. There she was, a dark brown-colored short hair girl was sitting at the back of Kübelwagen.

"Maho-san…?"

As she eyed over the moving vehicle, her heart ceased.

 _Wha…what…?_

To what Erika saw, Maho was not the only passenger. Her little sister was sitting next to her as well, wearing Kuromorimine dark-gray colored school uniform same as Maho's, same as everyone here.

 _Miho…when did she…?_

"Mih—"

"KYYYAAA! It's her. It's really her!"

Just before she could call out the name, the students' noises and reactions had drowned over her voice as the Kübelwagen carrying the two passed by.

"Maho Nishizumi, the Commander of Middle School Sensha-do team!"

 _Middle School…_ The words struck her repeatedly.

Steadied her mind, Erika scanned over the crowd, the students properly. Most of the girls were young, with body grown of a young teenage, unlike her…no wait…Erika looked down at her body. With a glance, she could tell that she was as same as everyone, smaller, shorter and…thinner.

"She is the youngest Commander and a genius as well." The spectators continued on with their impression about Maho.

"I heard that she has already been promised the Commander seat in High School Division!"

 _High School…Middle School Division…This is..._

 _What is going on?_

"Erika-chan. Are you alright? You look...pale..."

"Leila, can I...can I ask you a stupid question?"

"Uhm...what is it?"

"Today. What is the date today?"

"Are you okay, Erika-chan? Are you having some fever or something?"

"Please answer it."

"It's the first of April. The first day of our school, Middle Division."

"…"

"Have you…ate something funny this morning?"

"…I…I need a moment."

Erika quickly removed herself from the crowd.

~0~

 **– Restroom –**

Slashing with water onto her face made Erika felt a bit relax, only to some extent. Because her brain was cranking up in high gear on thinking function.

 _What...what is going on?! Why did I...Did I actually have gone back in time or something?_

She looked at her reflection on the mirror.

 _…I'm really younger and…smaller…No. No. No. No._

Shaking her head wildly till there's some dizziness, Erika stopped.

 _Deep breath, Erika. Deep breath..._

 _Maybe this is just a dream..._

Using two fingers with relatively sharp nail, she pitched herself. A sharp pain immediately registered.

"Ouch! Okay. It's real. It's real."

Once again, Erika only looked at her own reflection without another word for some time.

"Have I...have I really have gone back in time?"

"Then everything that I've done. Everything I've worked so hard..."

"Being the Commander…the Radical…"

 _Maho…Karen-senpai…everyone…Miho…_

 _Miho._

 _This is the Kuromorimine…the very one of the past. The one that had put a lot of pressure onto Miho…_

 _By the Nishizumi name and its Sensha-do way…_

 _'She is that kind of person.'_

 _'For better or worse, she is too kind.'_

They were the words coming from Maho Nishizumi. To Erika's extended knowledge, despite Maho's cold attitude, impassive expression and often reprimanding Miho for her indecision and faults, she was deeply cared for Miho genuinely. She would do anything in order to protect Miho. The match with All-Star University had proved just that.

 _'I'm sorry, Itsumi-san. I...I'm just tired of it all by now_.'

 _'I just don't get it anymore. For what reason have I been trying my hardest all this time. I just…tired…of it. I'm sorry…I'm sorry…'_

They were Miho's words, the words of dejected and giving up.

 _All because of that match…because of me…_

 _If there was a second chance…Wait. A second…chance?_

Her heart was then beating faster than unusual.

There was no denying it. There's a certain idea had appeared in her mind.

"...This might be a good...second chance. A…restart."

"Then I…yes, I can."

"I can help Miho...To help her get more confident. Helping her. Changing it."

"And maybe...for my action too...I can change it."

 _The 62nd final match…_

"I can change the history..."

 _But what about your friends, your kameraden (comrades)? Everything you've done and achieved. Are you willing to throw it all away?_

It was a whisper on the back of her mind.

"…"

She shook her head one more time to clear the mind.

Once more, she turned the faucet, slashing the water onto her face.

"…First thing first...where do I start?"

~0~

"Girls, nice to meet you all. My name is Ren Maaru, the Vice-commander. Welcome! To Kuromorimine."

 _Ren-senpai…It's sure good to see you again… **again**. I wonder how you've been doing when you had moved back to mainland after the Middle School graduation. _

"Before we start the training session, there's one thing I'd like to say first." Ren said with her two hands placing on the hips. "This is Kuromorimine. We have traditions."

"To those who thought joining the Sensha-do just for fun or some passing time activities. We don't tolerate that here. I hope you girls keep that in mind."

 _This is nostalgic. I'm almost feel bad for senpais when the others and I applied those…fundamental changes._

…

…

After the assigning, Leila quickly went to her Panzer III while Erika quietly approached to a panzer that she long knew by heart.

 _Well. Well, Pz. 38(t)-san. It's nice to meet you again. You may don't know me but I do know you and I will be counting you a lot in the future. Please take good care of us…_

 _Us…?_

"Ah! You're must be our tank commander."

"Erika Itsumi-san right?"

When she turned her eyes to the source of voices, Erika's heart ceased beating. To her, it's liked seeing dead people appeared in front of her.

 _Takeko._

A girl with short hair, bearing the brown-orange colored. She was the energetic one among the other two. She would be the driver.

 _Takami._ A black-haired girl with a pony tail, who would become the gunner later on.

 _Megumi._ She was having the same short hair like Takeko but slightly long as her ends touch both of the shoulders. Her role would be the radio operator.

Why she knew? Because they're her kameraden. Formerly, after that match.

They're her companions. The crewmates who had fought alongside and under Erika command all the way from Middle Division to that fateful match. By Erika's decision, it led the three all transferred out of school due to that…treatment.

"What's wrong? You look kinda sick." Megumi asked.

"Ah-no. I'm alright. I am…Erika Itsumi. Nice to meet you all…"

 _Not to mention…_

"Oh, you guys are already formed up together." A voice called up, gaining everyone attention.

"Yeah, it's certainly too bad. Don't be sad, alright?" Takeko teased.

"Uhm-uhm. I won't."

Erika looked toward to the one with short, fluffy brown-haired and have blue eyes. To Erika's memory, she would soon become a part of her crew as a loader.

 _Koume…_

"Oh, hello there." She greeted as soon as their eyes met.

"…It's nice to meet you too, Koume…Akaboshi-san."

"Oh? You know my name?"

"W-well…I did memorize the name on the roster."

"Wow! Looks like we've got ourselves a genius here." Takeko grinned.

"Looking forward to work with you, Itsumi-san." Megumi extended her hand toward.

As Erika's hand was about to reach hers, voices echoed.

 _'Those who I could trust..._ '

 _'Well...starting with you two, I guess…'_

 _'That's right. I want you to join my crew here, as a driver.'_

 _'Perhaps you can count me in too.'_

 _'Leila, Sheska, Cadenza, Kai and me. Five unlikely members in one team.'_

"…Likewise." Erika's hand quickly shook it.

~0~

 **– Sensha-do Training Grounds –**

« Number two. You're falling behind. Pick up the pace! » Speaking over the channel was a senpai who supervising the recruits.

« Y-yes! I'm sorry! » replied Leila, the commander of Panzer II.

 _Leila really isn't suit for the commanding role..._ Keeping mental note aside, Erika looked over their moving path. The sharp maneuvering training was sure taking her back, however, having an experience with Sensha-do, one might said a veteran and with the age of 17. Erika was remained calm and collected.

"Driver. There is an obstacle ahead. Drive around it." Erika said.

"Hmm? But I see it's quite flat." said Takeko, the driver.

"Trust me."

Followed Erika's instruction, the driver really surprised that there's truly an obstacle which was hidden by a bulge of grass.

"Wow! How did you know that, Itsumi-san?"

"Erika."

"Eh?"

"You can call me Erika, just Erika is fine."

"Well. Well, aren't you being friendly? Then you can call my first name as well! I'm sure that we'd make a great team."

…

…

"How's the new recruits?"

Putting the binoculars away, Ren Maaru shifted her eyes to the approaching person, one bearing the fame and the Nishizumi name.

"Ah, Commander. Yes, it's going quite well." Ren reported.

"That tank over there, Number 4. Its performance is very impressive. With a makeshift team, the commander is leading them well. She must have quite a good experience with Sensha-do."

"And what's her name? The tank commander?"

"Erika. Erika Itsumi."

…

…

It wasn't long for the training lesson to end. Standing at attention in rank and file formation, everyone was bearing the smell of oil and sweat, yet they're satisfied of their achievement.

"Good works everyone." Standing with might and charisma before everyone was Maho Nishizumi, the Commander of Sensha-do Middle Division. "The training had helped us to see the potential and power in you. Some of you might still see this is rather confusing, but fear not. From today on, you're our comrades."

 _Maho-san. It sure makes my heart fluttered seeing you like this._

Even though she had already fulfilled her inner desire: being closed to Maho, walked with her side by side. But at this moment, it was too surreal for Erika. It's like watching an old movie while having that same experience and feeling for the first time again.

"You will train further with our training so work with your hardest and be proud. You're bearing the pride as the members of Kuromorimine. You're Kuromorimine."

Murmurs of content were heard.

 _She's as grateful as ever. Maybe I better take picture and saved it for the future._

"And moving on. I have an announcement to make."

Upon hearing it, Erika's face soon shifted to a certain expression.

 _Ah. There it is...this event..._

"In light of today, we have a new appointed Vice-commander."

The crowd started muttering to each other about this sudden change of Vice-Commander.

"Miho Nishizumi, come forth!"

Following Maho's call, one girl began to detach herself from the group.

"…U-uhm, excuse me."

Soon she presented herself before everyone. She was a girl with short hair, bearing brown-orange colored, brown eyes. To be honest, despite bearing the same family name, she was like your ordinary school girl, hardly leave out any impression like Maho Nishizumi or even Ren Maruu.

"From now on, Miho Nishizumi will be your new Vice-commander." After her line, she looked over to the person standing next to her.

"Miho. Greet them."

"I-It's a pleasure…to meet all of you!"

Among the surprised and puzzled faces, one remained her impassive expression as she began to think of a…master plan.

 _Here we go again. Now...how do I work on this?_

~0~

"That girl, is she really Nishizumi-san's sister? Because she looks nothing alike."

"I feel you girl."

"Probably she is adopted?"

"Hehe, that's harsh."

"She is a first-year just like us, and she is our Vice-Commander? That's really something."

"Maybe she is as good as her sister."

Looking at one group was discussing about Miho, Erika couldn't help but sighed, shaking her head.

 _Funny, I remembered the time how I was so dejected seeing Miho was appointed as the Vice-Commander like that._

 _I was really childish, wasn't I?_

 _Now at least, I've got some opportunities to learn more about her._

 _But how do I make the approach to this?_

 _It's not like I can go: 'Hey Miho! I know this is your first time seeing me but trust me, I know a lot of things about you. Why, you ask? Because I'm from the future!'_

"Goddamn it! That would be a one-way ticket straight to the Mental Hospital!"

Erika noticed a few nearby was looking at her, probably caught what she was saying. Erika immediately acted away with a poker face, making them to think that probably they've heard it wrong.

"Shit. I'm speaking like Karen-senpai…" She muttered under her breath.

 _Karen-senpai…_

 _If I remembered correctly…she is not at Kuromorimine at this time…nor her older sister, Aki…_

The bell rung in the air, a new period began as everyone quickly returned to their seat.

 _Middle school. Guess I still have plenty of time. Who wouldn't love it, going back for a youth?_

…

…

The ringing bell for the last time of the day, telling the school time was over. While many began to do on their own activities, Erika Itsumi quietly made her way to a certain destination.

"Let's see, if I remembered it correctly, Miho's classroom should be around here…"

Erika noticed her foot had stepped onto something.

 _A key chain?_

"What is it doing here?"

She picked up the item and examined it. It was not some ordinary key chain. It had a shape of a bear clad in bandages. She noticed that its hook was broken.

 _Unless someone here has a same taste as Miho, I'd bet my entire savings on her._

…

…

Erika soon arrived to the location.

The classroom was vacant, except for one short-haired girl who crouched down to the floor, searching for something.

"Mi—Vice Commander?"

Hearing Erika's call, Miho had a jump.

"A-ah?! Y-yes—Agh!" The moment she stood up, her head hit the underneath surface of the desk. Following the impact, the pencil case, the note on her table promptly fell out. The content inside her pencil case were spilled all over the floor.

"Geez! What are you doing?" Erika quickly approached and helped Miho picking up the dropped items.

"You're…Erika Itsumi-san…thank you."

"…"

Erika realized that this was their very first meeting (for Miho, at least), face-to-face, and yet Miho had already learned her name.

 _This girl really has a good memory._

"Here. You also dropped this."

When Erika showed the keychain, Miho's face was immediately brighten up.

"Ah! Boko!"

"I found it around the corner. Guess I might find you here, looking for it."

"H…how do you know it's belonged to me?"

It's a good question. After all, how did Erika know it's belonged to Miho when they were _practically_ haven't talk to each other at all?

"W-Well! I just happen to saw it hanging on your schoolbag." It's a good excuse (lie) to say.

"Oh, thank you very much, Itsumi-san."

"…" _Okay, make a conversation, Erika. Make a conversation_.

"…It's an odd looking bear." She said, looking at it in Miho's hands.

"Oh, this is Boko."

"Boko…?"

The name which she had known for long, but a question was a best way to make a conversation after all.

"Boko is amazing. No matter how he's always got beaten up. Over and over again. He would stand up, again and again."

 _Even though this is the **second** **time** she explains it to me. It still confuses me._

"Because that's what makes him Boko huh?"

Miho was looking at her with an astounded face.

"Ye-yes! Because that's what makes him Boko!"

Her sudden exclaiming made Erika was shocked as she reflexively back away with a raised elbow.

"A-ah! I-I'm s-sorry! I'm so sorry!" With a face was like a tomato, Miho quickly bowed her head.

 _She is going to be a handful, isn't she?_

After a moment to calm down one's mind, Erika continued.

"I would like to ask you this, if you don't mind."

"Uhm…Sure, what is it?"

"Are you nervous? Taking this Vice-Commander position right away after the enlistment?"

Miho's shoulders were flinched upon the question as she looked up to Erika who was waiting for the answer.

"…to…To be honest. Yes…I am…" Miho answered nervously. "But I have to do it, work hard for everyone. Onee-cha…Commander and our mother are expecting a lot from me."

 _Nishizumi Style._

 _Headmistress._

 _Kuromorimine._

 _Everything was weighing down on this poor girl. Even my bitchy attitude back then just added more to her plate._

 _Damn, I'm such a bitch._

"…Sure it's rough for you." She patted on Miho's shoulder gently. "Hang in there."

"Itsumi-san…"

"See you at the training tomorrow." With a waving hand, Erika exited out of the class, leaving Miho alone.

…

…

It was quite a lengthy walk for Erika from the school to her assigned dormitory room. As soon as the door behind her was closed, she had her knees touched the floor as both hands were pressing hard onto her head.

"Oh what hell was that?! That was the lamest shit I've ever pulled…"

"Sure it's rough for you…hang in there…" She muttered the words she had said to her. "What am I, her mother? Her guardian angel?"

It was too…beyond. It was so unlike of her. Never before Erika would go all out for someone's sake like that. Her Commander, Maho? Would be an exception. But for Miho? She…she couldn't…

"Shit…please…take me back to my own current timeline…"

It didn't take long for Erika to learn that she wasn't able to.

…

…

 _And so the time passed by uneventful. Training. Studying. Training. Studying. They're all what we had been doing. Well at least, with my 'second' time, I managed to ace some subjects at ease._

 _I do feel I'm kind of a cheater though…_

~0~

 ** _– One week later –_**

Standing in rank and file, everyone was waiting for Miho, the Vice-Commander to finishing up the overview of their training schedule planned by the Commander.

"Vice-Commander. We have been doing the formation training for a whole week." asked a second-year senpai. "How about we start on a new lesson?"

"Well, you have a good poin—"

"No. We have a plan from the Commander and we're going to follow it to the letter." The other senpai disagreed.

"Come on, we don't have to follow the same routine all the time."

"The judgments are reserved for the Commander. We have no right to say in this matter."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad." She was getting irritated.

"Yes it is. Your tank couldn't pull that maneuver on time in seven seconds anyway."

"Oh, you think you can do it so well that you can walk over me, is that it?"

That was it, like something had snapped. The two senpais stood by a distance quickly made the approach, closing onto each other as their hands clamped the shirt, the jacket.

"Wa-Wait! You two…please!" Miho was at loss, seeing the situation was fast-slipping out of her control.

Just before something was ticked away like a volcano…

Suddenly, a loud whistle was made sharply in the air.

"Whoa, that is some whistle."

"Who did that?"

Faces turned as pairs of eyes scanned over the crowd, till they finally pinpointed a certain girl with light blond hair who kept her two fingers by the mouth.

"Erika-chan?" Leila was utterly surprised.

 _That's louder than I've thought…thanks Obama._

Noticing every eye were on her, Erika had a slight panic.

 _Shit! This is making me blush. Stay calm, me. Stay calm._

Erika's hand then was raised high.

"P-Permission to speak, Vice-Commander?" She asked in a clear voice.

"Ah? Y-Yes? Itsumi-san?"

Erika began to detach herself from rank and file formation. She made her own approach as she ignored the two confused senpais who was about clash at each other.

Standing at attention before Miho, Erika began.

"Vice-Commander. I would like request a challenge duel with you."

"!?"

Upon hearing her words, everyone promptly went gasp, bewildering. Miho, obviously, was like a reindeer caught in headlights.

"Itsumi-san…you…"

"…"

All the attention had paid for the argument now quickly shifted to the newly developing event.

"Itsumi-san! What are you—"

Ren's voice was ceased by someone's hand who stood next to her.

"Commander!"

 **"Achtung!"**

Somebody called out when they saw her as well, putting everyone back to attention.

"Onee…Commander."

The Commander, Maho Nishizumi quietly made the approach and stopped when she was close enough, looking over Miho and Erika, with arm folding.

"May we know the reason?" She asked.

Looking at Maho, Erika couldn't help but sense a shiver run through her back. Because at this moment, she was like a predator, observing every move with her sharp dagger-like brown eyes.

 _Shit! This is way more dreadful than the other timeline…_

Erika gulped down her saliva as she steadied herself momentary before she speak.

"Perhaps it's best that I would have my action to speak for everyone here. Or maybe…it's just me." Erika shook her head lightly. "The point is. I want to know that if Miho Nishizumi is _worthy_ for the Vice-commander position."

Erika's words put the whole group into a rowdy state.

"Is she serious?" "Is she crazy?" "Damn!" Those words were loud enough for Erika to hear.

"…Her performance back on the Training Grounds. Well, I think that many here would have the same though as me: 'This girl is not fitted for the Vice-Commander position'."

Stunned and gasps ensured, a few faces were even turned green, probably thinking: 'Oi. Oi don't you dare get us involve in this.'

Miho casted her eyes down to her feet.

"However, I'll respect the one once they're proved themselves competent and skilled."

After the explanation, she turned her body facing toward Miho who was visibly shaking.

"So Vice-commander, I would like to hear your answer. Can you prove it to me that you're willing to fight…with your own will and…not just being as a…Nishizumi?"

This time, Miho looked up at Erika with a dumbfounded face while Maho simply lifted up an eyebrow.

"What is she talking about?" "Beats me." "What did she say? What did she say?"

The students hearing her words were confused.

"Also. This is for my… ** _my own_** _Sensha-do_. So please, prove it to me. Vice…Miho Nishizumi-san."

She bowed her head toward Miho.

"My own…Sensha-do…" Miho muttered the words.

"Miho?"

"I...I..."

"…"

Miho drew in her breath before she give the answer.

"I accept. I accept your challenge!"

 **"""OOOOHHH! !"""**

The crowd exclaimed as they're rowdy up once more.

"Is this really happening?" "This is interesting." "Erika-chan..." "She got balls, I dare say." "It's happening. It's happening." "They're really going to do it!"

In the midst of it, Erika furtively let out a small relief sigh.

 _Right. First step completed. Sooner than I've originally planned though…_

 _Now...what do I do next?_

...

* * *

 **Okay...before anyone of you try to murder me. This is just some wild idea I've came up during my work shift. Damn it Brain! Couldn't have pick a better time for writing. It probably got inspired by some light novels and manga I happened to read like** _[ **I swear I won't bother you again** ]_ or _[ **I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags…** ]_

 **Second chance, rather an interesting trope but how can I utilize such tag into this story? Only time will tell. And does this actually involve with the story of Erika the Radical? Yes, to some extent. Is the main story still ongoing? Totally! Consider this one as a...side story or something. You name it.**

 **Writing with parallel ideas is going to be a pain...**

 **Inner me: Well, at least this is going to be a faithful EriMiho story.**

 **Me: EriMiho?**

 **Inner me: It's my religious.**

 **Me: *Look at [Erika x Harem] tag by the door***


	2. There she does it again

_'Commander. Please grant me a permission to have a match with the Vice-Commander!'_

 _The last time I made a challenge was not in front of her but via Maho instead. Thinking back, I was really make a fool out of myself. Even though I did receive supports from the girls who shared the same thought as me._

 _But the thing that matters to me now is: I need to help Miho. I need to get her establishing her own…zone. Confident and calm. Don't let anyone's words to control you._

 _I was amazed by that girl's spirit though. She actually accepted my challenge. I really don't know what to do if she'd said no._

 _Still, that leaves me with one thing in mind. Would Miho do it? Would she…despite everyone's hard effort…_

 _Would she do it again?_

 _Thinking back of that moment, it makes my blood boil…_

 _…_

 _…_

 _…_

"Erika-chan, are you out of your mind?!"

It was the question coming from Erika's childhood friend, Leila Rou, along with her high raised voice volume, gaining many ears inside the room.

"Leila, keep your voice down. We are inside the cantina here." Erika was remained unfazed as she continued eating her rice and burger lunch set meal at her own leisure.

Hearing it, the flustered Leila quickly bowed in apologize to everyone sitting nearby.

"Hey it's fine. It's a formal challenge request. There's no stake in it."

 _'Are you wanting to take over the Vice-Commander position?'_

It was Maho's question when Erika had come forward with a challenge request.

 _'No. I do not. All I want…is to know that if Vice-Commander is willing to do Sensha-do. Not half-hearted like everyone here assumed that she would be.'_

 _'And I do prefer the act rather than words. So please. Prove it…to **us**. That if you're willing to do it.'_

"…It's not like I would take over her position if I won, or me would quit the Sensha-do if I lost." Erika reassured her.

"Well, since you've put it that way…" Leila's finger scratched lightly on her cheek. "But I can't exactly imagine that you would quit Sensha-do though."

 _Not for me. But you on the other hand…_

"It's no lost to anyone. Beside, this is just for my own selfishness."

"Are you sure about that?"

Hearing a voice, Erika turned and looked up over her shoulder and was a bit surprised to see the three familiar faces.

"Takeko, Takami, Megumi."

"Hehe. And here I still can't believe that you actually did it." Takeko said, taking the seat next to Erika.

"We are a team here. You will need us, you know?" Megumi said.

"Nah-nah. Maybe we should seat this one out," Takami, the loader teased. "See how our commander can do it in the 4-seater tank."

"Like a turtle, I would say." Erika grinned back, taking the joke well. "Are you nervous that you don't want to join me?"

"No way!" Takami promptly responded. "We have enrolled here in Kuromorimine because we want to do the Sensha-do with everything we have."

"In other word, you can count on us." Megumi said.

"This should be fun! Fighting the Nishizumi." Takeko said, grinning wide with her teeth.

"Thanks girls. You're awesome."

Erika's words made the three beaming their smiles.

"I told ya that we would make a great team."

 _…Well, we're still missing one._

"Ehem! What about me?" The nearby twin-tailed puffed out her pink cheeks like a hamster.

"But of course. I'm counting on you, Leila."

Seeing Erika's smile was very…charming, Leila's heart couldn't help but beating faster than before.

"Ye-yeah! You can count on me!"

Erika checked the time on her phone.

"We will have some time before the duel. I will see you back on the Training Grounds."

She bid them goodbye, bringing her lunch tray to the designated placing holder.

"Erika-chan...She seemed very mature than before..." Leila's words gained the three's interested.

"Oh, is that so?" Takami lifted an eyebrow.

"How long has she do the Sensha-do?" Megumi asked.

"For too long I might say." Leila answered. "She is used to be the Commander of a Sensha-do team since elementary school. And then, Kuromorimine's youth team was the opponent…"

And here the cue for Leila began to share Erika's story to the three. The one with a bitterness end, yet full of pride and inspiration for doing the Sensha-do, and the very reason why Erika Itsumi had enrolled in Kuromorimine in the first place.

…

…

Just before Erika could have react the exit, she encountered another familiar face who had a messy short brown hair and blue eyes.

"Oh, excuse me."

"It's alright, Koume." Erika said.

"Eh?"

"Oh sorry! I mean, _Akaboshi_ -san! Sorry, my mistake!"

 _Damn, I should be more careful. Even though she is as same as Leila, a different person from that timeline but…but…_

 _'Th-thank you…for being a part of my crew. Enduring…staying…with me all the way till this very moment. Thank you, Koume. I'm really glad to have you.'_

 _'O-oh…d-don't mention it...I should be thanking you, Erika… Miho-san is an amazing person, but you're more…cooler than her. Hihi.'_

"…Are you alright, Itsumi-san?" Koume asked, noticing a pinkness appeared on Erika's face.

"I-I'm fine…"

After a few footsteps distancing between them, Erika turned to Koume, calling out.

"Akaboshi-san."

"?"

"Mih—Nishizumi-san…the Vice-Commander will need your help. She…doesn't have many friends. She will count on you...so do your best, ok?"

"...uhm...hai (yes)." She nodded.

It was then Erika finally bid her depart.

 _Right. Let's go over with the plan._

~0~

It was in the late afternoon, as the school was dismissing away its number of students, bringing the silence upon its ground. However, there's a single Panzer 38(t) continued rolling its tracks on the opened field, turning swiftly in a set of time.

"Driver, reverse back for five meters and stop." Erika gave the command to Takeko.

"Ahhh, this takes me back." Megumi said, bathing the cool wind from her opened hatch.

"If you pull out another dad joke, I will toss you out of the tank." said Takeko who was rather not amused.

"Girl, you're crazy." Takami said.

"I'm the craziest driver you will ever get!"

"Craziest driver..." Erika muttered.

Unconsciously, a smile was formed across Erika's face.

 _If Cadenza was here, I wonder who would win..._

Without a warning, she felt her chest was…oddly heavy. When Erika had thought of Cadenza, she began to think about the others as well.

 _Leila. Sheska. Kai. Cadenza…_

 _'Erika-chan.' 'Erika-senpai.' 'Commander.' 'Comandante.'_

 _'Let's do this, everyone! **Panzer Marsch!** '_

"Erika. What's wrong?" The loader asked.

Once again, she was pulled back into that old world. Once more, she had returned here.

"Oh, it's nothing." Erika answered.

"It's nothing…"

~0~

The day had finally arrived.

On the same opened field, where Erika and her crew practiced their maneuver training, was filled with many people. Four light panzers were lined up side by side. Two Panzer IIs and two Panzer 35(t)s.

"For this type of match, we are applying the annihilation rule. It will be two versus two." Ren, the former Vice-Commander enlightened the two teams with the rule.

"Panzer IIs and Panzer 35(t)s are your chosen panzers for the match. Each team will have each one."

 _Ahh…This takes me back. Sorry Takeko, can't help it._

"In this match…has something that you're all seeking for." It was Maho's turn, looking over both Miho and Erika.

"Do your best, show your skill. And do not soil the name of Kuromorimine."

"Bow!" By Ren's word, both teams greeted to each other.

"" **Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! (Let's have a good match!)""**

Before she went to her designated panzers, Erika called out.

"Vice-Commander."

"Itsumi-san…?"

"…"

 _'I will not acknowledge you as Vice-Commander. No matter what.'_

 _'Your behavior up until now did not feel like the Nishizumi Style at all. I have no reason to follow someone like that.'_

 _'Just watch. I will smash your heresy.'_

Again and again, the words spoke out of temper, out of shortsighted pride, were echoing on the back of Erika's mind. No matter how much she tried to, those spoken words, she could not take them back.

 _I'm such a fool…_

Embarrassed and shame, that's what she's feeling it.

Both of her hands gripped tight, as they're tempted to launch right at herself, her own face just so to remove those words, bury them away.

After one good inhaling, her icy blue eyes looked straight at Miho's face.

"…Please. _Do not_ hold back. That's all I ask."

Miho's expression quickly shifted from unease to a surprised one.

"Because I won't pull any punch out there either." With that, Erika turned and walked toward to her tanks.

"Itsumi-san…"

When Erika returned to her Pz. 35(t), she noticed Leila was simply showing her bright teeth smile along with a thumb-up. Erika returned the gesture with a light nod and a faint smile.

"Sorry for making you girls do this." Erika said softly to her crew once she entered the tank.

"Oh hey, come on now." Takeko said. "Don't go soft on us."

"After all, our tank commander is about to do the extraordinary thing."

"With this match, everyone would recognize our strength. It's the best stage you could have ask for."

"You're right. Sorry." Erika chuckled. After one good inhaling into her lungs, she let out her powerful voice.

"Let's go. We are doing this!"

 **"""OOOHH! !"""**

 _We are doing this. **To lose!**_

That's Erika genius plan?! …Well of course, in a way. She needed Miho to prove her skill and strength on this match to show everyone what she is capable of. That was her plan after all. To lose.

However, let's called it: a handicap. That's what Erika would grant for Miho in this challenge.

~0~

Once the preparation was completed, then came the signal.

« Begin! »

"Panzer Vor!"

"Panzer Marsch!"

Back in the Plaza, the spectators watched the projection screen mounted on Schwerer Gustav replica showing live images of the match thanks to the flying drones.

 _C-Sector…_ Erika thought as she looked over some familiar landmarks and its terrain.

 _Never image that this very ground would become the battlefield for our fight, saving Kuromorimine from Karen-senpai and her rogue company…_

 _'You have defeated me fair and square, well done. Kommandant.'_

 _'You have protected….and saved Kuromorimine, Erika.'_

"…"

« So what's the plan, Bayreuth 1? » Leila's voice quickly had Erika returned back to the reality.

"…According to the map. There is a hill nearby. We should move fast, taking the high ground should give us the advance."

« Oka— »

The ground was promptly dug up by multiple projectiles, cutting off Leila's transmitting voice.

« Contact! Elevated position at eleven o'clock. Distance thirteen and hundred meters! »

"Spread out!" With a collected mind (or knowing this beforehand), Erika quickly gave the order.

"How did she get up there so fast?!" The crew was surprised.

"It's one of the Nishizumi Style strength. She already knew the terrain like the back of her hand." Erika enlighten them. "But it's quite a magic that she had done it so quick before us."

"So this is the Nishizumi Style…" Megumi acknowledged it.

"If she is here, then the 35(t) would be somewhere nearby!" Takami said.

"Don't worry. I don't see it." Erika calmly said. "It's just Miho alone on the hill."

« Should I come up there and flush her out? » asked Bayreuth 2.

"That's what she would want to us to do. The moment you climb on, she would drive straight down here." Erika stated the scenario.

"The other 35(t) isn't here so it must be positioned elsewhere. And Miho would lead us to its ambush."

"Miho? Not Vice-Commander?" Megumi asked.

"What?"

"You said… _Miho_." Takami said. "Not Vice-Commander."

"…"

"…"

"…"

 _I want to shoot myself now…_

"…so what?"

…That was her only card she could play with.

"Oh nothing." There's a hint of amusement behind her voice.

 _Damn it! I remembered they're sharp, but not **this** sharp._

Grinding her teeth for a moment, Erika quickly recollected herself and give the command to her allied Panzer II. "Leil—I mean, Bayreuth 2. Create a feint. As soon as Mi—Panzer II coming up down, join with me."

« Okay! »

 _Nishizumi Style... Overwhelming strength. Worthy to be called Champions. Symbol of Power._

 _However, that girl's style is completely different. That's why she was able to do it. Saving us. Defeating Kuromorimine. Once more, she triumphed over the impossible._

 _But damn. It's good to be back. Fighting her once more like this…but…_

…

…

"Panzer II is coming toward us..." The Panzer's II tank commander updated the situation to her crew. The driver and the loader initially showed their nervous but quickly steadied themselves.

"Let's us move then. Please drive straight down here."

"Yes, Miho-san."

Remembered the training, the driver successfully drove the tank straight down the hill and landed on the lower surface. But her heart was jumped when an explosion was occurred right nearby.

"It's 35(t)!" The driver shouted out.

"Driving in zigzag! Don't let them get a lock on us."

"Y-yes!"

 _I never expect Itsumi-san could have intercept us so fast. Is she already knew this was coming?_

…

…

"She has come down just like you said!" Megumi said.

"Don't press the pedal too hard, Takeko. Follow. Not chasing." Erika gave the specific order.

"You got it, boss."

The pursuit was on, and the distance between them was good for Erika's 35(t)'s 37mm, however, she didn't fire another shot as she was scanning her surroundings as they moved.

 _Koume should be waiting for us around this area._

 _With the 37mm, she can take us out with just one hit. This tank's armor is fairly thin after all._

"Takeko, slower your speech."

"Are you sure, Erika? We are rather exposed out here. They might get a good clean shot at us."

"Or maybe not. I will keep an eye out."

"…Alright. You're the boss."

Their speed was soon decreased, allowing Miho's Panzer II to gain the distance rapidly.

 _This should be easy for Koume. Just one good hit and we will be out of the game. Then Miho won't have a trouble knocking out Leila's tank. This is good._

 _This is good enough…_

 _…_

 _So that's it, huh? You threw in the towel before the match even begin. Kinda pathetic, don't you think?_

It was not Erika's thought. It's a whispering voice.

 _That's quite a radical thing for Erika the Radical, eh? You're really becoming the unsung hero. To your own self._

 _No one will know what's your intention is._

 _Never will._

"…"

…

…

On an elevated ground, a stationary Pz. 35(t) was concealing itself behind the thick bushes. Koume Ababoshi, the tank commander updated the situation.

"This is Bokomon 2. Enemy Panzer 35(t) is in sight."

She was extremely nervous, but with Miho's guiding and also, Erika's words, oddly enough, they're encouraging and boosting her spirit. Koume convinced herself that she can do this.

The target is in sight. The target is locked in. All she needed to do was to pull the trigger.

 _Sorry, Itsumi-san._ It was a thought flashed briefly inside her mind, but her resolve was firm. She can do this. She _will_ do this. She will help Miho.

Just before a moment away for Koume's finger to pull, to what she saw through the periscope. The enemy Pz. 35(t)'s turret made a sudden motion, pointing its gun barrel straight at her.

Not a moment too soon, a flash emitted from the gun barrel.

A portion of earth nearby exploded upward right next to Koume's panzer. Erika's panzer's coaxial gun was opened fired as well, slashing up the dirt.

"KKYYAAA! She spotted us!"

"No way! How did she know?!"

"R-reverse! Reverse!" Koume gave the order to the driver. Quickly the Panzer 35(t) reversed, evading another shell.

…

…

 _I do feel I'm a bit cheated...but…_

"Oh **_fuck it!_** We're going to win this!" Erika declared openly, bringing a bit confusion to her crew.

"Aren't we exactly doing that at the moment?"

Ignoring their question, Erika contacted Leila.

"Bayreuth 2. Get her!"

…

…

"I-I'm sorry, Miho-san. Our ambush is failed!" Koume contacted her team leader.

« Cop-copy! Please make haste to our rendezvous point. »

"Koume-san! Our three o'clock! Panzer II!"

"!?"

It was too late for the tank commander to do anything as the enemy's 20mm auto-cannon opened fire.

Once the magazine of auto-cannon was depleted, a little white flag was erected on top of the beaten Pz. 35(t).

« I…I did it! I have taken out an enemy tank! » Leila screamed out joyfully.

…

…

Back on the Plaza ground, all members were rowdy up by the developed event unfolded on the giant screen.

"Oh my god! Those first years have done it! Itsumi's team has knocked out a first tank!"

"They're pretty good." Ren was amazed like the others.

Sitting on the chair, remained as passive as she was with arm folding, Maho only muttered the name.

"Erika Itsumi…"

…

…

« She is running away! » Leila's gun opened fire onto the Miho's panzer, but the moving target was proved to be very difficult for Leila to hit.

Without a warning, a quantity of dense gray smoke released from the back of the moving Panzer II.

« Damn! Smokescreen. I can't see a thing. »

"Don't chase her just yet, Leila." Erika called out. "Let's wait it out for a bit."

« Ok, but that was amazing. Erika-chan! Did you see that? Did you see that? »

"Yeah I saw that. Good work." Despite Erika's casual tone, but she was genuinely happy for Leila.

She then shifted her eyes to the knocked-out Pz. 35(t).

"Takeko. Approach to that 35(t)."

"Uhm, alright."

When Erika's tank made the approach closer to the disabled tank which the crew had already gotten out, Erika could see the girls' faces were dejected, one of them was sulking silently.

Couldn't blame them, Erika thought. They felt that they've failed Miho…

"Hey. You guys alright?" She called out, gaining the rival crew attention.

"...Yes we are fine."

It's Koume's answer, yet her face suffered a number of bruises.

"…Here."

Erika tossed a certain item toward Koume. It's a container of ointment.

"Put some of it on. Otherwise the swelling would be bad." Erika said.

"Uhm…thank you, Itsumi-san…"

There was a moment of pause before the light blonde-haired continued.

"Don't think yourself as a deadweight or something. You all have done well. Vice-Commander would be proud of you."

Her earnest and caring voice brought the defeated crew to somewhat surprised.

"Itsumi-san…"

Erika then signaled her driver to take on the course to pursuit Miho.

« Whoa Erika-chan. Aren't you being too kind? » asked Leila, who had witnessed the whole scene.

"This is just a simple friendly match. Besides, everyone will be our teammates in the future."

"Hey! Don't go make Koume-chan falling in love with you now, ya hear?" Takeko said.

It's a joke. To the three as all expected that she would go: 'Hai, hai (Yeah, yeah)' or 'Like hell I would.'

And Erika's reply?

" **I'm not!** "

"…"

"…"

"…"

What's this? A full all-out denying with a flustering face? What in the world?

"…I'm not. Ok?" Her redden face along with a serious tone didn't make the three laugh. It just couldn't.

"Okay…"

Soon their tank commander put her upper body above the command hatch just so to avoid their eyes and dumbfound faces.

"Uhm…What just happened?" Takami whispered, carefully not to let Erika hear her voice.

Two shaking heads and shrugging shoulders were all she got.

…

…

The cool wind hitting Erika's face thanks the panzer's speed but its coolness didn't calm down her boiling body temperature.

 _Goddamnit! This is making my blood boiled. Even though I've tried so hard not to think about it but…but…_

 _'Erika…I…I think I'm falling in love with you.'_

 _Calm down me. Calm down. This is a different timeline. This is a different timeline. Koume here is not that Koume. Koume here is not that Koume! **Period!**_

…

…

"Erika Itsumi. Who is this girl?" Senior members began to say the question among them.

"In the first exchange, she seemed she could tell the Vice-Commander's intention right away."

"That turret's turning. It happened in an instant. Like she knew Akaboshi-san was there from the beginning."

"Like she had a six sense or something."

"..." Maho remained silent as she was, quietly watching the event on screen.

…

…

 _Right…I changed it. I changed the event of the fight. Now Miho is on her own. One versus two. I wonder what kind of plan she is cranking her brain at the moment?_

Without a warning, Erika felt a sudden shifting turn to the left.

Erika was puzzled for a moment, before she could have raise a question to the driver why they had turned, she noticed Miho's tread-prints were heading toward the tree lines.

 _So she took a turn to the woods, not to the ravine like before._

 _Ravine…hah, it sure reminds me of that challenge match with BC Freedom and Maginot teams…_

 _No. No. Not now. I'm in the middle of the match here._

Erika's mind soon refocused on the matter at hand.

"Keep your eyes peeled, Bayreuth 2. She is out there."

« Ja. Copy. »

It was strangely quiet as they slowly moved in the woods. Noises of engine of two tanks along with the ground vibration were hard for Erika's senses to detect the third.

 _Where is she…?_

At this point, the suspense for both tank crews was building up too much. They all wanted something to happen.

Then. It did.

A roaring noise of engine by 5 o'clock instantly raised the alert.

"Behind us!" Erika shouted out.

The body of Panzer II moved passed by swiftly, not before it sent something to their way.

Leila's Panzer II's side armor was hit repeatedly, and the tracks were torn apart.

"Bayreuth 2!"

« We're alright, they've knocked out our tracks. We're still in the gam—WAHH— ** _tsssttt!_** »

Leila's voice was interrupted with high-pitched static. Looking over, Erika soon saw a white flag had popped up on Leila's Panzer II along with delayed smoke and fire burst on their engine deck.

« I'm sorry, Erika. We've been knocked out...It's game over for us... »

Miho had scored the first kill, but she was not done. The Panzer II's main armament soon shifted toward Erika.

"Get us behind those trees!"

The driver pressed hard the pedal, bringing up to full speed as rounds of large calibers were whistling passed over Erika's head.

"Deploy smoke!" Erika pulled the trigger. A volume of dense smoke soon released from the back of their tank once they stopped behind the trees.

"Great. They can't see us. And we can't see them either—"

Erika's put up hand ceased Takami's voice as she gave new order.

"Takeko, give the engine noise down."

"Takami, Megumi. Prepare to fire machine guns on my command."

The two quickly placed their hands onto the said weapons.

Putting her upper body out of the hatch, everything around her was dressed in white-gray color like mist. Erika closed her eyes, isolating the noise of her tank's engine to focus it, Miho's tank engine.

It was nearby.

She then opened her eyes, squeezing them through the curtain of smoke. Through the slow motion of the smoke, a blurry shape was made.

"Now! Fire at between those two pine trees at eleven o'clock!"

Two coaxial guns opened fire at the same time. The tracers flew and soon, they impacted onto something was made out of metal.

"There she is!" Takeko's exclaiming was soon drown out by Erika's order, putting her body to work.

"GO. GO. GO! **GO!** "

The engine roared out, having everyone leaned hard backward due the momentum as they narrowly evaded another barrage of calibers, cutting and smashing through every thin tree branches.

The moment Erika had come out from the blanket of smoke and the woods, her heart skipped a beat when seeing the Panzer II was in sight, with its main armament was pointing at her.

 _Shit! She is already reorganized her position right behind Leila's tank!_

« Waahh! Don't use me as a shield! » Leila called out, feeling very uncomfortable.

 _It's going to opened fire!_

It did. However, the shots were near-missed, exploding the ground just a few centimeters away from them.

"Wah-ha?! She missed!"

Amidst the faces showing their reliefs, there was one didn't. Quite Opposite, in fact.

"…shit!"

Uncontrollably, Erika slammed her fist on top of her turret.

 _There she does it again!_

 _Really, that girl is as soft as ever._ The voice whispered.

 _Everyone here is fighting with everything they've got, and all that girl cares is just about herself._

 _You better stop her from doing that._

"…Get us closer!" Erika gave the order.

"But isn't this distance is good enough for our gun's range?" Takami implied.

"Just go. **Punch it!** "

"…Ok!" With the built-up adrenaline inside, the driver gladly obeyed.

This was it. No more playing safe as Pz. 35(t) roared its engine loud, and charging straight into the stationary Panzer II like a mad bull.

 _Take the shot, Miho. Goddamn it! **Take. The. Shot!**_

Panzer II's auto-cannon opened fire again, tearing off the Pz. 35(t)'s rolling tracks. But with the gained momentum, the mass of metal continued to charge straight, almost throwing itself in that manner and violently rammed right at the side of Panzer II. Following the impact, Erika fired her gun, sending the shell directly at Panzer II's engine deck.

…

…

All senpais and junior members immediately stood up from their seat, eyeing toward the screen.

Not a moment too soon. A little white flag popped up.

Not just one.

But two.

Simultaneously. At the same time.

Needlessly to say, all were completely bewildered.

"It's a…draw?"

"It's a draw!"

"It's a draw?"

"A draw!?"

It's not uncommon to see such a result like that on the ground of Sensha-do, but to them, this was the first time and the participants of the first years of Middle School Division had actually did it?

 **"""OOOHHHHHHHHHH! ! !"""**

It was a feast for their eyes.

"Did you see that?!"

"It's so aggressive."

"It's awesome!"

…

…

Once the ringing inside Miho's ears starting to ease down, she looked over her crew.

"I-Is everyone alright?"

"Y-yes, we're fine. Miho-san."

Seeing the condition of her crew was good, Miho then emerged herself through the command's hatch. When she looked up, her heart almost stopping beating.

Because before her very brown eyes, there stood a…Valkyrie, bearing a silver-colored hair and icy blue eyes as there was a flame of war illuminating behind her back.

Miho's weak mind might be exaggerating but it was the best description she could give when facing her, facing Erika.

The Valkyrie, Erika was looking down at Miho not with a sense of admiration or pity, but furious. It's like she has been insulted by something.

"It..Itsumi…san?"

Miho was at lost, having this dreadful feel was starting to swell inside her chest. It was entirely different when seeing her mother or her sister…

"…"

 _Calm down, me. Calm down...don't slap her…don't slap her…But can I give this girl a good punch? Just once?_

 _Yeah, maybe I shoul— **nonono!** Stop it. Stop it!_

"Ouch…a little help here, please?" Takami called out.

"…I'm coming."

Fortunately for Erika, or for Miho in that situation, her temper was cooled down right away.

~0~

After the recovery operation was completed, the two teams presented themselves before Maho, the Commander.

There was a moment of silent, none had opened their mouth yet.

"So…how did she do?" Maho turned to Erika with her usual expression, but there's a hint of interested.

It was a question. A simple one yet it was bearing quite a gravity for Erika need to think this carefully before she answer.

"…Yes. To me. She have proved herself...she is…good. She is worthy as being the Vice-Commander of this Sensha-do team."

"Erika-chan…" Leila was rather disagreed but she respected her choice.

"And with her performance today. I doubt that no one would have a second opinion about her decision from here on now…" When her sentence was ended, she turned to the senpais, especially to the two who had caused Erika taking the action, challenging Miho for everyone to see it, Miho's ability.

"Am I right, _senpais_?"

Everyone who stood within her vision sensed a shiver run down on their back.

"Y-yes! Of course!"

"That's a given."

"Without a doubt…"

 _What is with this girl? Even though she is just a first-year. But those eyes, they're just like Commander. Or more like, she herself **is** being a Commander…_

"Well, I guess that would be all for today. Dismiss!"

 **"""Arigatou Gozaimashita! ! (Thank you for the match! !)"""**

…

…

When the whole group started to deform itself and went on their own way, a voice called out.

"Itsumi-san." It was belonged to Koume as she approached to Erika. "…Th-Thank you."

"…for what?"

There was a moment of pause, but Koume simply smiled, shaking her head lightly and said this.

"It's nothing…I just feel that I want to say it, Itsumi-san."

"Erika."

"Hm?"

"You can call me Erika." Without a warning, Erika's balled fist made a light touch on Koume's shoulder. "Good work out there."

Soon she walked away, leaving the brown-haired who had a red-pink color painting on her face.

Looking at a distance, Ren, the former Vice-Commander turned to Maho.

"Erika Itsumi...she is rather an interesting first-year we've got."

"Indeed." Maho nodded lightly. "Straight forward…but…"

…

…

"I'm not gonna lie. Erika look really pissed off." Takeko said.

"I guess she is really wanted to win." Megumi agreed, feeling it's so close for them.

"No, I don't think so though…" Takami said, remembering the frustrated face which Erika had made when fighting Miho.

~0~

After a moment, Erika finally returned to the locker room. Inside a room having no one else but her, it soon had her to realize that this was the very room she entered again when the Headmistress announced that she would be the new Commander of Kuromorimine…

 _This locker room…it does make me feel I've gone back in time…wait. I did. And I've rewrote the whole…damn history…I wonder what sort of impact I would get from now on…_

 _But damn it…Miho, you…_

"Ah!" A voice exclaimed soon had Erika shifted her eyes to the door. The girl with a short, orange-brown colored hair was standing there.

"…Vice-Commander."

Even though Erika already assumed that she will meet Miho like this again, but she rather not welcomed it. When her mind was too disturbed by the old memory and this newly formed one as well.

Miho then proceeded walk up to her locker, whether to grab something or changing her clothes, Erika couldn't tell.

"…"

"…"

Erika let out a sigh with a mental prepared mind.

 _Here we go again…_

"I would like to ask you this, Vice-Commander…if you don't mind."

"…uhm…Sure, what is it?"

"You _held_ back, didn't you?"

Miho's troubled expression was good enough for the answer.

 _There it is again...this moment._

"I'm sorry, Itsumi-san. I…"

 _There she does it again…_

"I think it'd be best that I could show everyone that…you…you might…"

 _I want to slap her…no, I want to hit her… **with my fist!**_

Miho was too preoccupied with herself that she was late to notice that Erika was already stood right in front of her. Just for a few centimeters away.

"Itsumi…san…?"

Without a warning, Erika slammed her opened palm onto the locker, caught Miho completely off guard. The ringing hollow of lockers and vibration was echoing for a moment before Erika said.

"You're underestimating me, Miho Nishizumi."

"If you love Sensha-do, then you should respect it. Not **defile** it."

"…I…"

"If you pull off something like that again along with that attitude…I. Will. Punch. You."

Once her line was delivered, Erika immediately moved herself away from Miho and walked straight to the door, slamming it right behind.

Miho's legs were out of strength to support to her body as she was slowly dropped herself down to the floor.

~0~

In the spacious walkway by the school building, the light blond-haired student was appeared to be alone. Seeing no one was in sight, she soon crouched down along with her hands pressing hard onto her temples.

 ** _Ahh…SHIIIIITTTTTTT! ! !_** _I DID IT AGAIN!_

 _Shit. Fuck! Shit! What the hell did I do it back there?! I didn't mean to do that!_

"Even though I've figured that Miho would do it but…"

 _It's like something had taken over me in that slit second…_

 _At the very least…I didn't slap her…but still…_

"Guess I really wanted to win, huh?"

Erika laughed dryly for a moment.

"Itsumi-san?"

When she turned her head to the voice, she promptly stood up with full attention, letting the schoolbag slid off of her shoulder.

"Ah?! Mah—I mean. Commander!"

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to startle you there."

"N-no. No! It's alright, Commander."

Erika soon noticed some folders was in Maho's hands.

"Are you...are you still sorting out some documents?"

"Oh? You certainly have a keen eye there." She showed the documents briefly in her hand.

It was very awkward for Erika, she didn't know what else to say as the two started to walk together, side by side.

"…"

"…"

"You know. You surprised me." It's Maho who first spoke up.

"You two had some evenly match. But you have exceeded…quite the expectation. Nice work out there."

"…thank you."

 _KYYYYAAAAAAA! Maho is congratulating me! This is so good!_

 _I do feel I'm a cheater but this is so awesome! The commander is appreciating me. No. No. No. Calm down, evil me. Calm down. Calm down!_

"I'm sure you have noticed it." Her next words then caught Erika by surpassed. Not because it's sounded odd, out of topic. But because it happened again. This event…

"Miho is just that kind of person." Maho continued.

"For better or worse, she is just too kind."

"…"

 _Damn…this is…surreal…it's more than just a Déjà vu._

"To command them. Sometimes, one is forced to sacrifice a few to save many."

"It is important to be prepared for that."

"Itsumi-san. I want you to support her. Make up for her weak parts. Will you lend her a hand?"

 _Oh my god. This is where she is asking me to help Miho. And yet, I was…I was…gosh! I'm so **stupid**! _

All the more reason Erika wanted to punch and kill herself afterward…

After letting out one heavy sigh, she answered.

"...yes, I will. It was the reason why I have challenged her in the first place."

"..." Maho, without a doubt, was looking at Erika with an astounded face by her words.

There was a silence between them, as a cold sweat was dropped from Erika's temple.

 _I said it out loud…_

"Ff—Hahaha!"

"Commander…?"

The Commander was having trouble of suppressing her laughter as her hands on placed on her stomach.

"Hahahaha! S-sorry…!"

 _Holy…is this really happening? Is this really happening? She is laughing, not chuckling nor giggling but laughing like that? Oh my god!_

"You're an interesting person." Then, a hand was placed on Erika's shoulder. "I'm counting on you, Itsumi-san."

 _I think I'm going to faint! No good! I need to say something!_

"Erika!" She blurted it out.

"Hmm?"

"You…you can call me as…Er…Erika. Commander…"

"…Thank you, Erika. See you tomorrow."

"Yes! See you tomorrow!"

When the Commander had walked away and disappeared by the corner, Erika screamed mentally as do she thrown in a tantrum dance.

"This is the best! This is restart is so good!"

"Uhm…Erika …what are you doing?"

"Haaa—"

She instantly turned into a stone statue with some cracked marks before her crewmates who stood there.

 _They saw it, didn't they?_

 _Oh god…Is there a checkpoint in this? I want to redo again…_

Praying with both heart and mind, Erika learned that she could not.

 _…_

* * *

 ** _*look at the astonishing rate of favorite, follow and reviews*_**

 ** _Whaa? Whaaaaaaa? WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA? ? ?_**

 ** _Me: …OK. Continue on with the main series. Till next time. Oh right. Thanks for your support. You guys are awesome._**


	3. Because it's you

_I want to have steak…_

It was a genuine wish coming from Erika Itsumi, who sighed heavily, having the right-sided cheek placed on the table and looked absently toward the window.

 _The school cantina's steak is okay. But it's not the one I'm looking for. Classic beef, nice and juicy, with enough fat, the sweetness of it, the pink, and the red color…medium rare…bloody as hell…_

Unbeknown to Erika, a drool had escaped from the lower edge of her mouth.

 _Ahhh, I want to eat that steak again! Bloody as hell...only that restaurant can make it so well…_

 _Too bad that it's closed down, otherwise I could…_

 _…_

 _Wait a minute…_

Immediately, like an ignition started the engine, putting the pistons at work, Erika Itsumi raised up from her seat when a thought occurred.

"…Wait a minute. Wait a minute!"

"What is it, Itsumi-san?" asked the teacher who had just entered the classroom. "You need to go the restroom or something?"

~0~

As soon as the chiming bell sounded off, indicating the final period has ended, everyone was rowdy up as they went for the club activities or their own. However, as for the Sensha-do members, they had the rest of the day off so the girls decided to go to café or shopping mall.

"Oh hey, Erika-chan! Wanna go for—"

"Sorry! I left the stove on back in the room. Gotta go!" With it, Erika immediately bolted, leaving the confused Leila behind.

"The…stove…?"

…

…

While there're many groups marching onward to their own destination, one certain light blond haired girl ran off hastily to a specific location in mind.

"If it's still there. Oh please, be still there…" Erika muttered as she walked. Having high hope as her heart was beating fast.

 _Oh. Please. Please. Please! Please be still there!_

Taking a quick turn into the small alley way, Erika stopped and she then expressed a genuine joy by the sight.

"Yeeeesss! Oh mighty Elvis Lesly Steak! It's still here!"

It was a small restaurant located near to the alley's entrance. From the first glance, it's bearing an image of American steakhouse and got recently upgraded, having just a ground floor. There was a black board placed by the entrance, bearing some written words in English. Special. Draft beer. Time of a football match tonight. She wondered that it was the American football or the soccer one though…

Without further delay, Erika turned the handle of the green wooden door and pushed it.

The moment she entered, she got a general overview of the restaurant, it was about 120 square meters. There was six tables set up for four so it would fit in for 24 people, adding up with 8 tall stools set up along by the bar counter placed in front of the entrance so the max capacity would be 32. Besides the tables, there was also a recreational corner, having a dart board placed on the wall, the pinball machine and vintage-looking retro jukebox made in the 80s.

With Erika's presence, she soon gained the attention of a dark-sinned muscular bald man in his thirties or forties standing behind the counter.

"Oh, Irasshai! (Welcome!)" He greeted her with a deep voice. "A young lady like you must have come here for some apple pie?"

The man was an American so he was very tall, above 2 meters, also very ripped, an attractive figure to many women. But there was not a sign of nervous or flustered as Erika approached to him along with a spirited respond.

"Even better. One Lesly Steak, bloody as hell!"

"Oh-ho?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Seem like somebody had recommended it to you. One Lesly Steak, bloody as hell. Coming right up. Please take a seat, anywhere you want."

So she quickly sat on the stool by the counter, after all, it was her seat of choice, ever since the first time she entered this restaurant. She remembered how she had been greeted with the same friendly attitude, along with a bit of teasing. With her excited mind of looking forward the steak, Erika calmed herself down and decided to have a good look around the restaurant.

 _Just like old time, same as ever. The tables, the jukebox, the pinball machine, the photos…_

 _I should have thank Karen-senpai. She was the one who told me about this place when she had found out my favorite food was steak… A bit late though…I only get to eat this restaurant's steak about 12th times before it was closed down due to Daniel's family matter…_

"Here you go. Bon appétit." The owner soon brought out the steak for Erika.

When the dish was placed in front of her, there was a tingling sense of nostalgic and happy. Taking up 2/3 of the plate was a 300g steak, steamy, juicy looking, with fine burned lines. The faint smell of butter hitting her nostrils. Placing next to the steak was French fries and a bit of tomato and salad carefully being put in with a sense of stylish.

"Itadakimasu!" With the polite phrase, she soon dig in.

Her heart was beating fast as the fork carrying a small juicy piece was bringing in closer and closer to her opened mouth.

"So...so good!" Her puffed face went as pink as cherry blossom. The sweetness of the meat along with butter were melted right on her tongue. "It's been so long since I have your steak again!"

"…Been so long? Again?" The owner found her words were odd.

"S-sorry! I mean it's been so long since I have such a good steak like this..."

"Hahaha! Now that's a fine comment you don't get that every day." The man was grinning wide. "You're a student from Kuromorimine right? I have served a few girls from your school but they didn't show as much expression as you."

"…Well, I can't blame them. Homework and Sensha-do activities are taking a toll on them."

"Sensha-do? Ah, you mean Tankery, right?" The man realized, then came a small laugh. "That explains the smell."

Erika only blushed faintly as she made an awkward laugh. She couldn't deny it. That's why there's always a bath once they were done with the practice.

"The name is Daniel." The owner extended his hand out to her.

"I'm Erika." She politely shook it briefly.

With a bit of knowledge of the Western culture, she didn't mind introducing him with her first name. After all, everyone in the team called her first name anyway.

While eating, Erika looked over at the photos hanging on the wall behind Daniel. Besides the picture of Daniel taken with other friendly patrons, there was one picture taken of him carrying a young short-haired girl on his shoulder.

"By the way, how's your daughter? Is Alex-san doing well?"

Daniel promptly expressed his stunned face and soon narrowed his eyes, giving Erika a dubious look.

"How do you know...my daughter's name?"

In that moment, Erika's entire body was froze as the fork stuck a piece of fries was stopped dead in mid-air.

 _Ah shit…I did it again._

"O-Oh…you see…I, uh…I've heard it from...Saito-san…"

Saito-san was a clerk selling stationary. His shop was nearby so she often would go there to buy things for her studies. To her knowledge and memory, Saito-san was a man with a big mouth. He occasionally told her about his neighbors' life story (rumors). And Daniel was one of them, about his daughter, Alex, she didn't have a strong body so she often stayed home with her grandparents in the countryside. However, the story was only learned later on after the restaurant was closed down before the start of Erika's second year in high school. Alex was admitted to the hospital due to her health and Daniel had to move back to the States.

"Tsk! Damn that monkey face." Daniel showed an annoyed face. "Minding your own business would ya."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your personal life."

"Ah, no, no. It's alright." Daniel gave his apologetic look to Erika and then to the hanging photo.

"Yeah, she is doing fine…" There was a longing look in his eyes. "She is bored though."

"Well…I think you should come back and visit her, for a couple day. If I were her, I would really love to see my father." Her words made him was somewhat happy and appreciated it.

"Thank you...Erika."

"If Alex-san is able to visit Kuromorimine, I think I can give her some panzer joy ride."

There was a surprised face at first but soon the man laughed.

"Hahahhaha! Thank you!"

Erika could only smiled back, but she felt that she was getting ahead of herself, saying stuffs like that...

"You know. It's strange," Daniel gave Erika a curious look "This is our first meeting and yet, you seem has got to know me for some time."

"…I…well…I guess it's a…miracle thing between two strangers." Erika quickly wiped out her mouth with a provided tissues. She needed to get out of here before she blurted out some stupid thing that didn't happen yet at this time. "Thanks for the steak. It's really delicious."

After the bill was paid, Erika exited the restaurant with the owner's bidding.

"Come back again, along with your friends if you can. I will give you girls a discount."

"Will do!"

~0~

 _Damn it…_

Erika felt both happy and embarrassed. Happy that she had enjoyed the good old favorite steak. Embarrassed because of her big mouth…since when did she was this…talkative? Karen-senpai would be the main reason to blame…but then again…her relationships back in the other timeline…

 _Me and my big mouth…_

"Right. Let's just go home and be done with the day…"

As soon as she turned her head around, a certain recognizable childish-looking face entered her vision.

"Ah! It-Itsumi-san…?"

"Gek!"

Erika stopped dead in her track, looking at the Vice-Commander of Kuromorimine Sensha-do.

 _Why is she here?!_

"…Uhm, Itsumi-san?"

"W-What?"

"You have...some on your chin." Miho pointed a finger at her own face, toward a specific location.

Erika promptly blushed hard as she turned her face away from Miho's eyes direction to wipe out the sauce with her sleeve.

"…thanks…"

"Oh…it's nothing…" Miho made a smile, but it was a forced one. Which captured Erika's attention.

 _She doesn't have any friend to go with for today?_

Erika noticed Miho was…nervous, as her hand was clasping tight on the strap of her schoolbag.

 _Right…with my action back then…_

"Look…about the other day…" She could see Miho was flinched by her words.

 _Damn it! Why do I always get to land on the bullied side?!_

Erika bit her lower lip. Inhaled, and exhaled for a good measure before she finally say…

"Sorry. I guess I was too harsh on you."

"…"

"I'm sorry. I—"

"Oh no! Please, it's not...it's not..."

To Erika's shocking, the girl before her was reacting quite strongly and…tears? Just as soon as Erika was registering it, tears were coming out from the girl's eyes…

 _Whaaaaa? Why is she crying?!_

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" Miho tried to control herself but the effort was failing as she was weeping, gaining the attention from the passersby.

"What is it? What is it?"

"Mommy. Why is she crying?"

"Some love quarrel?"

The attention was unwelcome as it was drawing more and more curious eyes to the two Kuromorimine students, with one of them was crying.

"G-get over here!"

Erika quickly grabbed one of Miho's hands and pulled her away to someplace else.

…

…

She soon placed Miho on a bench in the park which having a good opened view to the calm sea bathed in the warm orange sunset.

"Did you calm down now?"

"I'm sorry…I'm very sorry…please give me a minute…" She tried to stop the whimpering with gasping, wiping the tears with her hands.

 _Gosh, this girl is such a handful…_

Sighing lightly, Erika then noticed there were two vending machines nearby. One selling refreshments, the other was selling tissues.

It didn't take long for Erika to return with two soda cans and a pack of tissue in her hands.

"Here, use these." She hanged over the tissue to Miho.

"Th-Thank you, Itsumi-san."

"…Erika."

"Eh?"

"You can call me Erika. I'm more used to it."

"Th-then…Eri…Erika-san…"

"Uhm…"

The light blond-haired looked to the sea, trying to avoid Miho's 'puppy' eyes.

 _Gosh…this is worse than the other timeline when I've met her again…although not in the best circumstance…maybe…_

"…"

"…"

The absence of voice between the two made Erika's active brain ringing the alarm, wanting the host to do something.

 _Goddamn it. So awkward…what should I do? Make some joke? Hell no! Over my dead body!_

 _…but what to do? What to do? Telling some bedtime story? ...My life story?_

 _…_

 _…_

"…You know. I admire Commander, your sister." Erika started. It didn't matter to her that if Miho was listening it or not. "I admire her…and… _like_ her, a lot."

"I've met her back when I was still an elementary schooler. I was the commander of my team and I was…pretty much arrogant and bossy." She let out a small dry laugh. "Kuromorimine Youth Team, your sister was the one commanding it, and she has kicked my ass… _terribly_! Despite with such result and different in skills, my pride didn't allow me to accept it, that kind of defeat. I didn't want to accept it. So I continued to challenge her, again and again. No matter many times I've faced her. All failed miserably…"

"I was…trying too hard…like a possessed woman…to the point that my teammates was talking behind my back, saying how I'm just too obsessed with victory, for my ego."

Miho was shocked to hear such thing. A person like Erika, more mature, with a collected mind than her and yet, she experienced such a harsh and awful thing…

"Erika-san…"

"But Maho, your sister…she stood up, for me. She talked to them. Telling them that my…struggle was real. It's how about it was the true spirit of Sensha-do. Is to search for one true self, one's own Sensha-do."

"I gave a thought about it a lot and that's when I…felt very grateful and respect to her."

"…"

"My point is…As long as…" She massaged the side of her head. "I get to…enjoy Sensha-do here in Kuromorimine. Meet the strong. Either win or lose, as long as I get to fight them wholeheartedly without any regret. That's all I want…but winning is more referable."

"…"

"…"

Then came a soft laugh, the brown-haired girl sitting on bench showed an animated expression, removing away the previous one.

"…uhm! I do want to win as well…thank you, Erika-san. For telling me."

"…yeah, no problem…" Erika pop-opened her soda can and gulped it all down in one go.

Suppressing down the gas in the throat that would her go burp, Erika threw the empty can in a perfect arc line toward the recycle bin and it hit home.

"Wow! That was a nice throw, Erika-san."

"Yeah, guess I should appreciate to that shootout."

"…uhm…shootout?"

"Sport! Sport festival, that's what I meant."

One more thing happened in that timeline was buried deep inside her memory.

"C'mon, we should go back to our dormitory." Erika said after she checked up the time on her phone. "It's about to hit the curfew."

"Okay."

The two then quietly returned to the dormitory without saying another word.

~0~

As soon as the room's door was closed, Erika immediately laid herself flat on the flood with the depression, the embarrassed feeling, and the suicidal thought were crushing down on her

 _Oh god…oh god…I want to kill myself… I want to kill myself! That was too embarrassing! Why did I have to say it?!_

 _Why did I have to reveal such embarrassing moment to Miho. I didn't even do it back in my other timeline!_

Quickly, Erika hopped herself onto the bed, pressing the pillow onto her face as she let out the uncontrollable scream.

 **"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~! ! ! !"**

Being the bitchy girl toward Miho while clinging on Maho seemed to be more referable course of action than this current one.

It was a wild thought, but she was really tempted to do so.

~0~

 ** _– The next morning –_**

"Ohayou! (Good morning!) Erika-chan~"

Leila's spirited greeting didn't meet up with the expectation as the other side was having some dark cloud lingering above her head.

"Ohayou…" Erika replied weakly.

"Ar-Are you alright?"

"Yeah…just didn't get enough sleep."

Maybe Erika shouldn't have said that because she soon received a health lecture from Leila.

 _Oh god, somebody please. Shoot me…_

"And you should…hey, is that Vice-Commander standing over there?"

For some reason, Leila's question was putting some life into Erika's exhausted mind as she looked up.

It really was her, standing by the entrance. From the looks of it, Miho was waiting for someone.

It was then Erika had realized whom she was waiting for.

"Ah! Erika-san! Go-Good morning."

"Likewise…" Erika greeted back. "You're waiting for us?"

Miho was blushing hard by the question, then a nod was made.

"U-uhm!"

"…" Leila was simply stunned, seeing this kind of spectacle in play.

"G-Good morning, Rou-san." Miho turned to Leila.

"Uhm…hello, Vice-Commander."

"P-please. You may call me Miho."

"…Oh! Ok then…you can call me Leila then. Nice to meet you!"

"Oh good. As long as you two keep the 'chan' instead of 'rin', for my sake."

"Uhm, what did you say just now, Erika-chan?"

"N-nothing."

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

It was so strange to Erika that it's still in the early morning and yet she had a strong urge she wanted to take a sick leave today…

The familiar trio appeared, showing their smirking faces, Takeko particularly.

"You all got to know each other that fast?" Takami asked.

"That's what I called the team building." Megumi simply smiled.

"Hai, hai. (Yeah, yeah.)" Erika sighed, bringing out the giggle from her teammates.

…

…

« You are moving well this time. Good work, Number 3. » The senpai commented on Miho's tank's maneuver.

« Th-thank you very much! »

"Well, well. It seem that our dear Vice-Commander is improving a lot more than before." Megumi said.

"I'm glad that she is…" Erika was pleased.

"Hehe, getting worry for your girlfriend there, Erika?" Takeko teased.

Erika didn't respond right away as she made a contact to the leading tank.

"This is Number 4. My driver is requesting to perform the maneuver number eig—"

"UUWAAAHH! I'm sorry! Please. Don't make me do it, please!" The driver immediately pleaded Erika with her puppy eyes.

It's not very effective...

…

…

"Uhm…Erika-san?"

"Hmm?"

"A-Are you free at the moment?"

"…well, I guess I am."

"Then…would you...would you like to go with me for a moment?"

"..."

It was soon after the training session, the girls have a bit of free time before the curfew and Erika was genuinely surprised, not expecting that Miho would ask for a da—to hang out with her...

Looking furtively from afar were Erika's crew-mates and Leila who was letting these tears as she said.

"My Erika-chan is being stolen away…"

"So, this is what they called NTR." Megumi said with pinkish color on her face.

"What is…NTR?" Takami was puzzled.

"Don't worry, girl." said Takeko. "There're…plenty of fish in the sea."

"I'm not happy with it!"

~0~

Followed Miho, Erika did. To the place that…was not what Erika had in mind. It was a small arcade store called Retro Galaxy. Some pixel monsters and UFOs were decorated the dark blue-colored board.

 _Never thought that she was a gamer._

"So what game do we play?" Erika asked.

"Oh, please follow me. I'll show you."

"Irasshaimase! (Welcome!)"

The employee greeted the pair with her professional tone but…Erika noticed that she was momentary flinched…by Miho's presence? But before she could have progressed it more properly, she was following Miho deeper in the store, passing by those smashing buttons machines. The pair soon stopped in front of a crane machine and behind those glasses? There laying one special prize that Miho would probably sell her soul to get it.

"Boko bear...why I'm not even surprise..." Erika looked at the particular purple-colored bear wrapped in cotton bandages and first aid bandages. A sense of fashion was hard to describe with this bear. The first-aid job on this bear was terrible, wrapping the whole head around like a mummy, and the belly section was...spilling out its...intestines?

 _This one is way uglier than the rest of her collection back in Miho's apartment room (in the other timeline)._

"Hihi…I'm just really want to have it." Miho was a bit embarrassed to admit it.

"…and I fear we would need a lot of tokens to get it."

"Hahaha…" Miho made an awkward laugh. "H-hold on, wait for me. I will go buy some tokens. Be right back!"

Erika simply sighed. Just when she was about to daze her mind off to look at other gaming machines, a male staff approached to her.

"Uhm…excuse me?"

"Yes?"

"By any chance, you're an acquaintance to that girl over there?" He looked toward the distant Miho.

That kind of question was rather sounded fishy to Erika.

"…What about it?"

"Uhm…okay, I will help you to get that mummy bear from the machine."

"…eh?" That was…unusual.

As the tension inside her was gone, the staff began to explain.

"Because the last time she played this machine, the buttons were almost broken. And she kept playing it, no matter how much coins she's burned them…even when there was a guy had tried to stop her but…there was some sort of aura coming from her…freezing him…"

Maybe it was her imagination or the air conditioner, but Erika could have sworn there was a shiver run through her back.

"…the hidden power of the Nishizumi Style…" Erika muttered.

"I guess that girl really, _really, really_ want to get that bear…"

Erika silently looked over the crane machine.

"The soul crusher…"

 _Kai is right. This is a soul crusher._

"Okay, make it quick." She gave the green light.

…

…

"WAAAAHHH! It's Boko! It's Boko!" The brown-haired girl was in glee as soon as she saw the bandaged purple bear was held in Erika's arms. "Oh my god! How did you get it so fast?"

"I guess luck was on my side." Erika furtively gave a thumb-up to the Saint behind her back.

"Mission accomplished." Both employer and employee were relief.

With it, there was no more reason for them to stay here so they decided to return to the dormitory early.

"Boko…aha, Boko." Miho was in a good mood that she soon start humming the Boko song.

"Not only the design was weird, but the song is even weirder..."

"Hey. Boko is…amazing you know. No matter how many times Boko gets beaten up, Boko will always stand back up."

"…That more sounded like Rocky Balboa." Erika commented, remembering the iconic named protagonist. No matter how much he gets hit, he will keep moving forward. "Are you sure your Boko is not copying the content?"

"Uhm…inspired. It's inspired from it!" Miho somehow was trying to defend her favorite bear's origin.

"Still, the way you're describing Boko. It sounded like you're some sort of masochist who love to get hit repeatedly, and stand back up to get hit again like that."

It was a prank, in Erika's mind. It meant no harm, but…by God, Miho was suffering a color failure episode upon hearing it.

"Ugh..." Tears were soon forming in her eyes.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Don't cry! Don't cry!" Erika didn't want to have a second episode in the middle of the street like this.

Miho didn't cry but the poor girl was sulking.

"…You're so…blunt."

"Y-yeah…need to work on that…" She messaged the back of her head, feeling embarrassed. Her temper was to blame.

"But…" Both corners of Miho's mouth raised up, forming a smile as she looked at Erika with her clear, endearing brown eyes. "You're a kind person, Erika-san. Thank you."

 _*Tha-thump!*_

 _W-what the hell?! Why did my heart just skip a beat there!?_

"…Wha…Whatever! I'm going home."

"Erika-san!" Erika stopped her feet, deciding to hear what else Miho have got to say.

"…See you tomorrow."

"Uhm…see ya."

 _Before I could even realize it, Miho and I, we talk…a lot. Double, triple times, more than the other timeline. And without any proclaiming, we were already became friends._

…

…

 _Training. Studying. That's all we're doing. But there was a sense of…comfortable. I didn't push myself too hard. I didn't put up my cold mask before Miho, but with a good gesture and helping her._

 _I'm just…being myself._

"Erika-san. D-do you want to hang out with us?" Miho along with her teammates asked.

"Only if you invite my team here as well."

"Nani? Nani? (What? What?)" Takeko asked.

"Is it a group date?" Megumi said.

"I'm all for it!" Takami was happily to apply.

"Hey, I'm going too!" Leila joined in.

As the number was growing, the light blond-haired noticed another familiar face was nearby.

"Kou—Akaboshi-san!" Erika called out. "Perfect timing. Wanna hang out with us?"

"Ce-certainly! I'd be happy to."

 _The time soon moved on, passed by uneventfully._

~0~

"Commander." Erika called out to the known figure as they were on the same path to school.

No response.

"Commander."

Still not responding.

"…Miho!"

"A-ah?!" The brown-haired was jumped, looking back to Erika with a flustered face. "E-Erika-san! Good morning."

"Finally stop dazing."

"I'm not dazing! I'm just…I'm not used to be called like that. But you on the other hand…you're seemed very happy when you got appointed as the Vice-Commander of the team."

By Miho's words, Erika's mind relived that moment when Leila had delivered the news to her.

 _"Ah, music to my ears!"_

 _"Wait, what?" Leila was surprised to hear it coming from her._

"Please don't mention that again…" She showed a grimaced face.

"Hihihi, sorry."

Erika then noticed Miho was continued looking at her with some interested.

"What?"

"Well…your ponytail, it looks pretty cute."

It's one thing that Erika had changed her appearance, keep the hair growing and tie it up with a simple rubber band. She wondered why she didn't keep her hair short though, like Maho, or Miho. Maybe it didn't matter that much? Or she just felt like to change it?

"…"

But with Miho's comment, she wanted to cut it now.

"I'm going to get a haircut this afternoon."

"I mean, it's cool! It's cool!" Miho was showing regret by her words. "Please don't get the haircut…"

Seeing Miho's puppy eyes, Erika let out a resigned sigh.

"Fine…"

"Haha, I'm glad."

 _Crap. Was she ever this cute?_

Seeing Miho's adorable, smiley face like that, Erika couldn't help but to think about it.

Continuing on their way to school, Erika looked up to the clear blue sky.

 _It's been two years already. Time flies…_

Erika remembered briefly the moments of her giving the advice on the tactics and being…friend with Miho. That girl was showing more active attitude, less reserved than before, but still as clumsy as ever.

"Uhm…Erika-san. I actually have this question that I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"W-why are you helping me? You have helped me so much…even more so since Onee-chan has graduated…May I ask why?"

Erika had never though that Miho would ask this question. At least, not this soon…

Her intention was…good, to say the least. But to convince Miho with the very sole reason why Erika has gone such length to extend her hand out when no one else didn't…

Erika stopped her feet, turning to Miho who also stopped.

"…"

"…"

"Because it's you…you've…"

 _Because you've saved me. You saved my life._

 _Because it's you. I changed. I took the helm of Kuromorimine, the new Kuromorimine._

 _Because it's you, I..._

"…Lets just say…this is Sensha-do. My own Sensha-do. Besides, I…"

 _'I'm interested in you.'_

"I'm interested in you."

"…" Miho expressed her genuine surprised.

"…C'mon, we're going to be late for the first class." Erika continued to walk ahead.

"U-uhm…"

To what Erika had failed to realize, Miho was remained standing there, with a hand placed on her chest, feeling the strange face-paced beating inside her.

 _Tha-thump-Tha-thump-Tha-thump-Tha-thump-Tha-thump-Tha-thump-Tha-thump_.

Miho could not control this heartbeat. It's beating too fast.

"Erika-san…"

...

* * *

 **A new year…same old me, same old job…oh look, a new chapter update! Yay~ *bad voice acting***

 **A short chapter I know, but I did say it before. Writing two stories at the same time is going to be a pain (but I love it!). And here's some sneak peak for the next one.**

 ***– Sneak peak –***

"Ha…ha…ha…finally, we've catch up with you two. Karen-senpai. Aki-san…" Erika spoke, catching up her breath as she looked up to the two familiar faces, bearing the same auburn-colored hair and silver eyes.

"…" The two sisters looked at each other in silence before the younger one gave Erika and her companions a dubious look along with one question.

"And who the fuck are you guys?"


	4. I didn't see this one coming

"Miho-san! I have two coupons for Mac-Burger today. Do you want to join me?"

"Oh? Uhm…sur—"

"Hold your horse! Miho-san has promised with me that she would go with me to the arcade today!"

"Oh, I think I di—"

"Don't confuse Miho-san with your scheme!"

Miho was promptly cut-in by the first girl.

"And don't you dare to hoard her all by yourself!"

"Uhm…guys…uggh…" The girl in subject turned her head from one side to the other repeatedly.

And that's the skit of two girls fighting over Miho which Erika Itsumi was seeing right before her eyes.

 _Boy, you're sure popular._ She mentally sighed.

 _All those times I tried helping her to get more confident and here, she's still indecisive, thinking of the others before her own convenience…_

"Hey!" That was it. Enter the Erika.

Her presence was immediately acknowledged by her peers.

""Vi-Vice-Commander?!""

"Erika-san..."

"You're being disrespectful in front of your Commander. Behave yourselves!" Her authority-like tone quickly put the two to back away from the short-haired girl.

"Besides, she has other matters about the Sensha-do to attend so...be it next time, ok?"

""Hai...(Yes…)""

The two resigned their fate as they bowed to Miho with their apologies and soon walked away hurriedly.

"Erika-san…uhm…thank—"

"And you." Erika turned to Miho, bearing the same tongue. "Even though you bear the ranks, you're still being pushed around and undermined by everyone. You should have acted yourself more like the Commander."

"S-sorry…"

Miho cast her eyes down, bringing somewhat...uncomfortable and awkward feel to Erika.

"Come on, don't treat me like your mother. I'm your...friend here." Despite Erika had changed back to her usual tone, Miho's sad expression was still remained.

"I'm sorry..." She repeated it once more.

"..."

 _Hahh...this is not going to work. Miho is still not confident of herself and in need of improvement…in many ways._

 _I wonder how did she even lead those misfits back in Ooarai._

 _Now that I think about it, at this time Ooarai school doesn't have any running Sensha-do club right? They only revived it when Miho has enrolled in... No wait...I'm off the topic here._

 _How to get her to be more confident...and not to be clumsy anymore. That's the question._

 _Hah...Dealing with this is more brain cracking than with Cuban Missile Crisis…_

 _If there's some way, a way to change her…like I have changed…is to..._

" **Corrupt!** "

A powerful voice carried such word immediately pulled Erika away from her little world. She looked back up to the female teacher who was teaching the meaning of a word.

"In a general meaning, it is an act of willingness to do a dishonest or dishonorable thing to gain money or for personal gain. It can also be an act of persuading someone to do the said things."

"It's often also viewed as a form of influence. Because a gullible mind would often mistake it like a kind of inspiration, having to you to do because it...fulfilling one curiousity. Pushing you to do when a normal you wouldn't do."

"…"

"Corruption comes in two forms." She put up 2 fingers.

"The first form we'd think of it right away would be the moral corruption. One's personality changed from good to bad."

"Emerg—" For some reason, the muttering girl sitting in front of Erika got hit by a paper fan from a neighbor.

"And the second form is…one's lifestyle."

"That's totally Eme—" Once more, she got bombarded by the paper fan.

"Yare yare daze (Good grief)." sighed a girl nearby.

Many students exchanged their whispers. The teacher could tell that they all got it, but she would rather to clarify it.

"Let me give you an example." The teacher pulled out a pack of cigarette from her pocket. "So what do you think about smoking? Is it bad?"

Everyone in the glass answered yes, nodding their head.

"Let's do this more one time properly." The teacher grinned. "Anyone who think the smoking is bad, raise your hand."

Unanimously, the entire class put up their hands.

"It's bad for your health. Yes…" Calmly, the teacher put one cigarette into her mouth. "But does it look cool?"

Soon, a noticeable number withdrew their hand, bringing up giggles to the class.

"There you go. But don't go be like me."

"Smoking is bad for your health, sensei."

"Right, right. But I did look cool right?"

The whole room was boomed away with laughter.

"Hmm..."

 _A form of influence..._

 _Inspiration..._

 _Changing who you were. Be cool and confident…_

 _...wait a minute._

A light bulb was illuminated above Erika's head.

 _That's it. That's it!_

 _All of these time I have a trump card up in my sleeve!_

 _A Joker card, to be exact!_

While Erika was grinning, the teacher has taken notice of her expression.

 _That girl is...something..._

~0~

" _She_ is not here, sorry." The 1st-year senior replied to Erika who stood by the class's entrance.

"I see…"

 _That's disappointing, but considering her character back then..._

"Probably she is down below..." Erika muttered.

"Yes?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Thank you very much for telling me, senpai."

As soon as Erika has walked away, the other seniors asked out of curiousity.

"Who is she looking for?"

"It's Nakahashi-san."

"Really? Why?"

She simply shrugged her shoulders.

Unbeknown to them and Erika, a certain brown-haired girl watched their unfolded event just around the corner.

~0~

The silence and the still scene where no person is in sight was what she needed for her guarding duty.

Uneventful. All the way till her shift end.

To her unfulfilled desire, the sound of ascending elevator echoed over the shaft, snapping her dull mind back to full attention for a moment before the platform finally stopped at the level where she was located.

Another girl soon walked out of the elevator. She was wearing the same uniform as her, having a dark yellow shirt with short black tie, and a black kebi cap.

"Anything to report?" asked the girl.

"N-Negative. The coast is clear."

"Alright. Let's check the next sector, we can't afford any intrusion."

"Jawohl!"

The two yellow-colored uniformed girls then finally walked away.

Peaking over the corner, Erika finally let out a sigh of relief once seeing the two has opened the path for her. Erika soon rushed toward the elevator and entered it.

"Damn...I never thought that these Feldgendarmerie would be so active down here." Erika commented. "Now that I think about it, they just love enforcing the rule so much back then."

"Uhm...what do you mean 'back then'?" Miho asked timidly.

"N-nothing! I just...uh...j-just saying to myself. Ah-ha! Hah-hah-hah…"

Pressing her would rather be a pointless action so Miho decided to ask another question, the one was lingering in her mind for some time ever since Erika asked her to come along.

Miho was rather surprised of such venturing they've descended down inside the School Carrier where many wouldn't want to go. It's also forbidden to do so without the permission.

"Uhm...Erika-san, where are we going?"

"I am taking you to the… **dark side** of Kuromorimine." Erika said this along with her (best) evil face.

"Oh wow! Really?" Miho asked innocently, or rather…got excited like a kid.

 _What is up with this girl? At least show some nervous, would ya?_

"You're not nervous?" Erika asked.

"Well, I do feel kinda…uhm...J-just…the tw-two of us…"

By Miho's words, Erika started to review the moment when she asked Miho to come with her alone. Miho was extremely flustered while her crewmates were putting up some…smirking faces.

Perhaps, she should have invited them along as well.

"Yeah, maybe I should also invite my crew and Leila along, but then one big group would have drawn the unnecessary attention."

"Uhm...you're right..."

It was in that moment, Miho felt her chest was...tightening up. What was that feeling just now? Disappointed? Angry? ...No, no, no. That's not it. Why would she think such a thing?

The ride in the elevator didn't bring a smooth ride experience when they both could hear the creaking and dryness sound of it.

"This elevator seem didn't have much maintenance, or putting any new oil at that."

Miho giggled lightly by Erika's words.

"But I'm rather amazed of how vast and deep this school carrier is. Of all of the time living above, I really didn't aware of it till now." Miho expressed her genuine excitement for exploring the School Carrier for the first time.

"Uhm-hm." Erika nodded, remembering back the time when Karen-senpai invited her to this underworld.

Funny to think how she had influenced her so much. She wondered what kind of expression Karen-senpai would make when they meet each other, for the first time.

Without a warning, the descending platform was shook abruptly, like hitting a bump or something in the shaft. Because of it, Miho lost her balance and fell over Erika.

Erika, on the other hand, reflexively steadied herself as she managed to keep a hold of Miho with her arm support.

"…You ok?"

Like a squirrel, Miho pulled herself away from Erika as she apologized frantically.

"Y-yes, I mean! I-I'm very sorry!"

 _Heh, her reaction is kinda cu—wait…why in the world did I come up such thought?_

This time, Erika's face was starting to turn to the same color as the brown-haired's, however, she was shifty of it as she turned her face to other direction, not letting Miho to see it.

"…"

"…"

The awkward silent between the two continued to extend till the elevator finally reached down to its designated floor.

"...Le-Let's go scouting, shall we?"

"Yes…lets…"

The pair quietly exited out of the elevator and marched on to a location which was marked on Erika's mental map.

"Oh…it rather smells down here." Miho said.

"Yeah." Erika agreed. The bad odors along with some spill of oil were extremely unpleasant to the nose.

Strangely enough, the despite the scene of the lower level was pretty much the same to her memory. She couldn't help but noticed something was…different.

"Hopefully we can find the bar—"

With Erika's hearing sense, something was...spinning in the air, and then it bounced violently onto the metal wall, where it was just a few inches away from her face.

Miho screamed out impulsively when the wall was struck and the awful high-pitched metallic sounds was made at the same time as the object landed heavily in front of them.

"..." Dumbfounded, both Erika and Miho cast their eye down to see what it was...

It was...a wrench?

What welcomed them was a wrench that just flew by and struck on the metal wall?

As they're both trying to process what had happened, something else has come along as it hit their nostrils, **hard**.

 _What is this smell? Smoke?_

When Erika looked back up, one word that came to her was: Carnage.

Barricades, made out of tables and chairs used for the classroom, barrels…burning fire…awful piercing sound of metallic clanking was made upon the weapons clashing on each other.

" **DIE** heretics!"

"Death to the infidels!"

Shock and awe, were what the two both expressed to the surreal and violent sight before them.

A moment ago they just had a school day, enjoying some cool, fresh air and even beautiful scenery to look at.

And now, at this very moment, they somehow just descended down to Hell by the elevator?

"What in the name of Stalin is this?!"

Erika's cried out question was promptly drowned out by the on-going fighting noise and yelling.

She then noticed those fighting delinquents/ sailors, each bearing their own color through the headband or scarf wrapping around their arm. Purple, red, orange...

 _Color gang?_

And it hit her.

"Don't tell me this is...Turf War...?"

"A...territory war?"

While Miho was confused and scared, Erika's mind relived the moment of that one conversation in the other timeline.

/ / /

 _'There is used to be territory war between…gangs?' Sheska inquired._

 _' **Colored** gangs.' Kai corrected. 'And there were many fancy names for them as well.'_

 _'How come we never know about this?' asked Leila._

 _'Intelligent Department. And besides, you girls always go kyaa-kyaa with the whole Sensha-do thing back then. Not a single soul was paying attention, except Abe-san and her mighty corps in silver armor.'_

 _'No one was paying any attention down here.' Candeza said. 'Just like the whole world view to the conflict in Middle East.'_

/ / /

 _…This is not good. This is not good at all!_

Escorting Miho through a hell-like battlefield to get to the Garden of Eve. This was **totally** not in her mission description.

"We need to go ba—"

 **""CHHAAAARRGEEEE!""** The powerful roar coming from behind Miho and Erika almost petrified them as they saw the corridor they've walked was already filled up by a vast number of girls wearing orange-colored bandana on their head.

"Damn those Orangers! Their reinforcement has arrived!"

The named gang made the full frontal charge with Zerg Rush style, crushing whoever wore different color.

The two adventuring Kuromorine students got caught up in it like being hit by a huge ocean wave.

"Erik—wahhh!"

"Miho-ugh! **Miho!** "

Just when Erika's hand was trying reach up to her, someone or something had forced her whole body down right onto the floor.

And the chaos didn't stop just there. A loud whistle sound came from the whistler gained the attention as the violent fight was began to pause and shifted the attention to the new arrival group dressing in dark yellow shirt with short black tie, and a black kebi cap. Wearing on their chest with pride was the barge bearing the words in kanji: Morals Disciplinary Committee.

"Arrest them all!"

"Oh-shit! It's the Kuromorimine watchdogs!"

Immediately, all fight and duel were disengaged and then dispersed away like flies followed by echoing whistling sounds as the new force entered the tray. Some managed to run away. Some got subdued. Some resisted in the hand grasp of uniformed girls. One thing to the next, the violent escalated to the next level as fighting gangs worked together to fight off the enforcers.

"Stop! You violated the law!"

"It's all over, lawbreaker!"

"Criminal scum!"

 _I have to get out of here!_

Erika's mind was telling her this. But on the other hand, she could not leave here without Miho. She needed to find her. She ne—

"Got you now!"

"!?" Without a warning, Erika's right arm was grabbed.

She immediately put up a struggle, not wanting to get herself to be pinned down by their arresting technique.

With the CQC basic, Erika reflexively grabbed the girl's arm and threw her over. She had turned the table as she pinned the uniformed girl on the floor, rendering her out of commission.

"Sorry!" After giving a quick apology, Erika slipped away from the chaos.

...

...

"Sector is clear." The patrol leader announced the status over the radio.

However, her report was pre-mature when one of her team members was knocked down by a pellet, then the next one. It was an ambush.

"Not clear! Not clear!"

"Stop what you're doing, you delinquents scu-Gak!"

"Bite us, captain Kirk!" shouted the rebel.

"You picked the wrong sector, fool!" A dark-skinned sailor charged in, swinging a helluva with her baseball bat.

"R-Retreat! Fall back!"

"You'll pay for this!"

The yellow shirts had to fall back under the intense fire from the sailors wearing purple-colored scarf.

Stay hidden from the conflict, a pair of icy blue eyes looked around frantically, searching for a certain face which was not among them.

"Miho...where are you?"

Erika's heart was beating fast once she realized that she has left Miho behind. She needed to find her and get back to the surface.

 _Oh god...what should I do now?_

Pressing hard on her temples as her brain shifted to high gear, hoping to come up with a solution.

Asking those Disciplinary girls would take too much time and not to mention that it would be much hassle over their dumb questions. How should she proceed?

"What do we have here?"

Promptly, she turned around, seeing three silhouettes emerged behind the dark corner.

They're young sailors, perhaps in the Middle School Division like her, but their appearances were…rough as each wearing a green and red-colored scarf.

"Who...what _are_ you?"

"We're Goblins!"

"Shadowy Goblins. As darkness is our friend!"

Erika's one eye was twitching when she heard it.

 _They're sure fitted the bill…_

"Hey! Your face is telling us that you're sure fitted the bill!"

"Uhm…no, I did not." She replied right away.

"She is looking down on us." "Yeah!"

They didn't buy it.

"Look, I need to find someone. So…good luck with your…gang war thing. I'll just…be on my way."

With it, Erika turned her back to them and started to walk away.

However, that's a mistake.

 _*Rip!*_

It was a sound of cloth, namely Erika's shirt, being torn apart when it was caught by the hook-end of the crowbar held by one of them.

"Upsy-daisies."

"Nice bra you got there."

Once again, Erika immediately turned around, shielding her frontal body with both of her arms.

"My uniform...assholes!"

Erika's angry face didn't dispirit those Goblins, in fact, her expression only encouraged them as they wanted to invoke it more.

"Let's see if your panties match with it."

"Gehehee! Slice and dye!"

"Fresh meat! Fresh meat!"

 _This is bad!_

All self-proclaimed Goblins made the approach toward Erika in an alarmingly rate.

Despite being attacked first, Erika's mind remained collected and analyzed the situation.

All three was armed, and she wasn't...

This was not a fair fight.

But she wasn't going to give them any satisfaction.

When the inevitably was about to come as one of them had jumped toward Erika who reflexively put up her arm to guard...

Without a warning, the attacking Goblin was abruptly stopped dead in her track, in a way that she landed flat right on the floor.

"…" "…"

"…"

Dumbfounded, Erika and the others, silently stared down at the fallen body in between them.

And it happened again.

The small-bodied girl was...slammed onto the wall heavily by some sort of…projectile.

"Oi! What the fu—gh!"

The last one soon joined the others.

Before Erika's brain could have registered it, all three were knocked out completely.

"..."

"Damn those Goblins. They're getting more and more aggressive lately." A voice spoke up as she emerged out from the corner.

To what Erika saw, it was a sailor girl, however, her appearance was different than the rest as she didn't seem to be…degenerate. Erika then spotted a familiar looking black bandana which was worn by her gunner back in the other timeline.

"K-Kai...?"

Hearing her voice, the sailor turned her face around. Thanks to the light, Erika finally had a good view on the girl's face. She was…older, older than Erika a few years. Her disheveled hair was dark, and the left side of her face was covered with a long bang.

 _No. She is not Kai._

Even so, Erika couldn't dismiss such an impression coming from her. Beautiful and cool, like some sort of a…main character of action series.

"Do I know you?" asked the girl.

"Uhm no…I mean…I'm just uh…No one special?" That was Erika's answer.

The bandanaed girl took a careful study at Erika.

"You're a…student from above? What in the world are you doing here?"

"Well...you see…"

Before Erika could give a proper answer, a bird-like whistle echoed in the air.

"That's Nightingale calling, I have to get back to them."

"W-wait. I need your help! I have been separated from Miho—with my friend! Can you help me to find her, please?"

"..."

'How troublesome' was what her face telling.

"Really, who in the right mind would try to come down here? A middle schooler, no less."

"In case you want to know," She extended her hand toward the girl. "Erika Itsumi. Erika is fine."

The senpai was certainly surprised, seeing this light blond-haired was friendly...perhaps, too friendly...

"..."

There was a moment of hesitation, but two hands shook.

"Right, you might want to do something about that."

Her head gesture prompted Erika to cover up the exposed part.

...

...

Looking from left to right and back to forth, all four directions were looked pretty much the same.

The noises and sound of fighting could still be heard, but they're merely echoes, so it was hard to tell the exact location.

After pulling herself out of the river of people, Miho Nishizumi has found herself ended up in some sort of uncharted territory.

"…Erika-san! Where are you?" Miho shouted out, hoping for a respond. However, none was returned.

At least...till now.

She sensed someone. Somebody was watching her.

*Clang!*

"W-who's there?"

She threw a question toward the direction where a sound has come from. Looking intensely for a moment, the darkness was all she could see.

Miho could feel her heart was beating unusually fast, but nothing reveal itself from the shadow.

Soon, she let out a sigh of relief.

It was a premature one though…

"Pee-ka-bo!"

"Kyaa!" The brown-haired let out the scream impulsively as she her legs gave out, rendering her to fall on the ground.

"Gehehe! Did you get that?" The short-heighted girl wearing red and green-colored scarf turned to her mate who holding the flip phone.

"In HD, girl."

"Look like we've got some dumb girl coming down here…oh?"

Noticing the odd look that the delinquent-looking sailor was giving Miho, she began to feel something was moist and cold on her…bottom part, she looked down and soon learned why.

There was bundle of water or something, probably caused by all these violent fight, or it's leakage from the pipes above. However, to the girls' eyes, it looked similar to one who couldn't hold her bladder.

"Ha-ha, she is pissing herself!" The camera girl pointed it out.

"N-no, wait! This is not—"

"She is peeing herself. She is peeing herself, ha-ha!"

Miho tried to persuade but the aggressive making noise and mocking laughter were overwhelming her.

This just felt so…frustrated. Why was she being humiliated like this?

She didn't want this, she wanted it to stop.

 ** _Onee-chan! Erika!_**

*klang*

In the narrowed corridor where one assumed it's vacant of life, came a footstep. Then another, and another.

*klang*

The sounds soon captured all three attentions.

*klang*

In the hall of darkness, a single torch was flickering.

Who is that?

None could tell, but the gang members could tell that it's not their allies. Making those heavy steps, it wasn't in their training. So action was made, they attacked first.

Pulling the sling all the way to the shoulder, she quickly let loose as the rock flew away with high velocity.

The projectile was fired, but it was immediately bounced away by...some sort of metal arm guard clad on the person's arm.

Despite the initial attack was unsuccessful, the second one was soon followed. This time, it was a close quarter strike, very close that the attacker jumped right on with a sack holding a good number of rocks and coins to bash head.

The strike hit. However, the meaning of hit here did not bring any damage to the opponent, since the person was wearing a bike helmet with enclosed visor. The attack barely left any damage.

Before the (goblin) sailor could have react or performance the next action, she was already pinned to the wall in a ruthless fashion, having the armored person's arm pressed onto the neck, suffocating her.

While one hand was restraining her, almost to the point slowly crushing the one's chest, the other hand lifted up a certain object had its body painted in red, the head was the sprayer device.

"No-no-wait-wait-wait-wait—wwwaaahhhhhhh!"

After a spurt of white dense mist of CO2, the helmet-wearing person soon let the KO-ed goblin go, as she had chosen the next target.

"That's one." The armored person said.

The other goblin quickly turned her back and run but only to get hit from behind by a throwing item, rendering her to fell flat on the ground.

Miho simply witnessed the whole event unfolded in shock and awe.

"Two."

The armored person approached slowly to where goblin was 'slanged'. There was a phone lying nearby, she picked it up and then effortlessly broke it in half with her bare hands.

"Uhm...Who are you?"

The girl in armor silently looked at Miho for a moment before she revealed her name, or the title which universally had named her.

~0~

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Eh? Etou..." The light blonde-haired looked dubiously toward the path she intended to take.

 _This isn't the way?_

"Unless you want to meet those Orange girls. That's the way."

Gripping tight over a white and red jacket which Erika had looted from a K.O-ed sailor, she soon returned back to her helper with an apology.

"R-right, sorry. Sorry..."

Erika was drawing a blank. The path, the mental map she had in mind was utterly different to the current status. Perhaps there would be a new change? Changing hall way, setting up new room in the future?

"But boy, you sure have learned from the bad source. There is no such thing called Garden of Eden, let alone a bar, or even a neutral ground for the gang to meet and…hang out." The senpai said. "Everyone down here is literally out for blood all the time. Save for the weekend though."

"…"

Erika was frustrated at herself. What an idiot she was.

"Hold up."

The leading sailor put up a hand, hauling Erika to a stop.

Someone was ahead, they both could tell. The bandanaed girl quietly steadied her weapon, pointing toward the direction as a person's shadow was slowly emerged from the corner.

"Oh...where am I?" The person spoke up.

"Halt! Stop right where you are!"

Following her words, the girl panicky put up both of her hands up-high along with pleading.

"Wah! Don't shoot me! I surrender! I surrender!"

"L-Leila?" Erika called out the name when she finally identified the twin-tailed girl, toning down the air of tension.

"Erika-chan…?" Leila quickly showed a relief face with teary eyes as she launched herself onto her. "Erika-chan!"

"What in the world are you doing in a place like this?"

"I should be the one asking that question!" Leila looked at Erika with her bewildered face. "W-when I saw you two, an-and then I decided to follow you and…and…what in the world is this place?!"

Before Erika could give out her answer, the accompanied sailor responded to Leila's question with her own...style.

"Welcome…to the **_dark side_** of Kuromorimine."

"Hiiiiiiii!"

 _Oi! I did that first!_

 _I was so naive. Damn! There's just so much going on that I didn't even know or aware of. I chose to ignore it because I didn't think it would affect me. Delinquents, Turf War, these are just too complex for me to solve. I guess I should just let it run on its own course._

There were more voices echoing in the hallway, and they're oddly sounded...familiar.

"I should have stayed home!" A voice was sounded like giving up.

"Hey, come now. This is way better than having you stay at home and not having any social skill."

"Hey! I have acting skill _and_ I have social skill!"

"But really, sitting on the sofa, in front of the camera is not really the way becoming an actress."

"Ohh...screw you, Aki-nee! I hate you so much!"

 _Aki-nee? Could it be..._

Like a wolf, Erika immediately run up toward the source, leaving the two, who were dumbfounded by her action.

Erika's footsteps soon alerted the two standing in the pathway, as one of them pointed the torch at Erika.

"Ha…ha…ha…finally, we've catch up with you two. Karen-senpai. Aki-san…" Erika spoke, catching up her breath as she looked up to the two young women, bearing the same auburn-colored hair and silver eyes.

Karen Nakahashi-senpai.

Aki Nakahashi-senpai.

Yes, they're the two. Noticeably, the younger one, Karen who had influenced Erika to change her way of Sensha-do and even radically changed Kuromrimine's rigid tactic and the old Nishizumi Style.

"…" The two sisters looked at each other in silence before the younger one threw Erika and her companions a dubious look along with one question.

"And who the fuck are you guys?"

 _Eh?_

 _Ehhh?_

 ** _EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!_**

 _Oh god, I'm such a retard! I'm just so happy to see the old faces but I totally forgot that we have a **zero** interaction between us!_

"Come on, Karen." Her head got hammered by her sister's fist. "That's very rude to say that when you first met the people."

"Yeah, what about the people who wanted to skin us alive when we first met back there?!"

There was a huff of amused coming from the bandanaed girl.

 _So this is…Karen-senpai? She is…less mature than I had known._

 _Age comes with the wisdom…I guess. Karen didn't start the whole Valkyria thing until she reached her third year...along with all those bitterness experiences..._

"Let's start from over, shall we?" The older auburn-haired put up a greeting hand. "I'm Aki Nakahashi, third year of High Division. And this is my little sis, Karen, first year."

"Hey." She greeted, massaging her head bearing a bum.

"My name is Leila Lou, third year of Middle Division. Hi..."

"...I'm Erika Itsumi. You can just call me Erika."

"Erika...So how did you know our name? Back then, when we first met." Aki asked, showing interested while Karen was putting her guard.

"Uhm...your...reputation preceded you! Aki...Nakahashi-senpai."

"..."

"..."

The two redheads looked at each other once more, this time however, the older one grinned.

"Hahaha! Well, well. Looks like I've got myself a little fan club here."

"Whatever." Karen rolled her eyes.

"What? Are you jealous~?"

"Not really."

"And what's your name, mysterious stranger?" Aki asked.

"...it's Kai."

 _Wait. What?_

"You have the same name as her!" Erika's words quickly gain the attention.

"Who…?" Before the Kai person could have finished her question, she stopped as something had caught her attention intensely.

"W-What is it?" The other soon followed her eyes direction.

On the wall was a certain symbol, like a butterfly painted with aqua-colored glowing paint.

"This is bad…we have get out of here!" She whispered.

"Why are you whispering?"

"What's wrong?"

"Just move, now! Befor—"

"Hold it right there!"

Before the group knew what's going on, they're already surrounded from all sides by people carrying makeshift spears.

Even though they're sailor, they've customized their appearance to look like...regular soldiers back in the Sengoku period with headband, armors.

"These girls are from Azure Clan. Do. Not. Fight. Them." Kai gave the one clear warning.

"With the blade already pressing onto my neck, yup. Sure thing!" Aki said.

"Take them to Azure-sama." said one of the soldiers.

All four exchanged their confused look to one another, with the exception of the bandanaed girl who was grimaced.

"Azure-sama?" Leila asked Erika, who was just as confused as her.

"Oh boy." Kai sighed.

"...I have a bad feeling about this." Karen said.

~0~

In a certain room that used to be a storage. It had been transformed into a throne room where a dark-colored carpet was set all the way from the entrance to the very throne.

This very chamber had ruled the underworld of Kuromorimine for many years, perhaps one might said it was erected in the very first day of Kuromorimine School Carrier's maiden voyage.

From the first look, one could say the carpet was already passed its prime. It looked nothing but a mere rag thanks to its dark tainted color, however, there was an infamously story about it that this very carpet was originally a blue-dyed one. So how did it turn into such state? Particularly, the mid-section of it was bearing a purple-like color? The answer: It was a result of mixing the red and blue.

So where did the red color come from? The answer: They're spilled from the beheaded traitors and many individuals who disappointed the ruler.

And here lied the throne which the Ruler is sitting on. A sofa. Yes, it was a sofa, and it had been modified greatly from scraps and tapes. **Lots** , lots of tapes.

But do not let its tattered appearance fool you.

Legend said that the sofa was used by many high-ranking individuals, until one who was unworthy of it decided abandoned it out of his petty revenge. It was left on the side of road exposed to the elements of nature for many months. Despite so, when it was placed here. The sofa still provided the comfy feel as ever, and never dissatisfied the user who sat on it.

Sitting on it was a young woman wearing a captain cap with hair bearing the sea color and iris-colored eyes. She was mature and...sexy looking, her chest was large and well-proportioned body. One leg crossed over the other, showing disinterested to the commotion at the time. However, that wouldn't last long, when 5 poor souls were being dragged toward her by the armed sailors wearing aqua-colored headband.

"Ouch! Hey! Watch it!"

"Oh god, oh god. We're going to be murdered!"

"I should have stayed home."

 _This is getting interesting._ Azure, the young woman thought as she examined the captives who all were bonded by the rope, kneeling before her.

~0~

"Now this is oddly remaining me about that one scene." Aki said, examining over the room that they're in.

"The original trilogy was the classic." Karen added.

"So we are going be...enslaved...?"

While Leila was in her own panic mode, Erika, on the other hand, her mind was on the overdrive.

 _Did I just twist the original plot line...?_

 _Alright. I only intend to derail it…just a bit. Not placing it on a rocket and launch it into space!?_

 _Oh god, where are my peaceful and uneventful days?_

 _I didn't expect that the whole thing would get twist and turn like this..._

 _Yup. I fucked up._

"Erika-chan. Are you alright?" Leila's question didn't receive a return.

Stationed on both side of the throne were the sailors carrying makeshift spears, like royal guards.

For one thing that Erika was amazed was…

 _I didn't see this one coming…_

Sitting on the throne, there was the Queen. It gave out the absolute aura of a ruler.

There's also one person kneeling next to her, like a servant or a slave, judging her scandalous appearance with a few fabrics on her body...hold on, is that...?

"...Miho?"

"Mi-Miho-san?!"

"Erika-san! Leila-san!?"

Hearing the name, the brown-haired girl looked up with both surprised and relief, but then her expression quickly shifted to a shamed one because of her current attire.

Replaced the formal gray uniform was a maid uniform, but its design was rather...bold and showing like some sort of bikini, design with laces. With just two pieces, it left many rooms for the imagination. On top of that, there's a collar to go with, strapping around Miho's neck.

Seeing Miho's appearance had been...degraded like that, Erika was feeling...hot.

 ** _Not_** that way, you dork.

What the Vice-Commander of Kuromorimine Middle Division team was having now is... **rage!**

The evidence of it was an aura of flame was emitting all around Erika as blood was boiling hot inside her.

Miho's leash was being held by the very person sitting on the sofa, a woman wearing a white-colored outfit like a captain of a ship, holding a fancy-looking handheld fan in her hand.

 _Who is she? How **dare** she?!_

Clenching her teeth as hard, Erika glared at that person with piercing icy blue eyes like a wolf.

"What did you do to her?"

"Hm?"

"I said... **What did you do to her!?** "

Despite being restrained, Erika stood back up mightily on her two feet.

The guards stood on both sides of the room immediately pointed their spears, having the blade tip put very close to Erika's body and face.

"Quite a feisty one we have here, don't you agree?" The blue-haired turned to the bikini-clad maid with an amused face.

"Please, don't hurt them! Azure-san, Please." Miho pleaded.

"Fufufu, don't worry, dear. I'm only teasing them." With a soft amused face, the blue-haired signaled her guards to stand down, letting Erika to stand instead of kneeling.

"You know, if she's your friend. You should have look out for her more carefully. She almost got herself harmed by those green snarling goblins if not for _her_ coming to rescue."

Azure explained as she was giving Erika her stern face and gestured her head toward the armored girl.

"..." Erika couldn't...deny what she had said. It was her fault after all.

"Then again. Thanks for that, I've got myself a cute pet now."

Azure began to have her enjoyment by head-patting Miho's head, feeling her soft hair.

This only irritated Erika more and more.

"Oi! Don't you know who she is? She is—"

"I know who she _is_. Miho Nishizumi. Yes, we have introduced to each other."

 _She knew who Miho is and yet..._

"So…why?"

"Think. Who was the one responsible driving us down to this...shit hole?" She gestured it with opened arms.

"All of those fancy, rigid laws and curfew. To become the true maiden, they said. What a joke, it sounded like a good brain washing program to me."

The Azure members promptly cried out with content, agreeing to their ruler.

"Then again, there's one important rule to learn while you're down here."

She summoned a breath of air before she delivered those piercing words.

"Don't. Screw. With Azure."

The whole room roared up with cheers.

"Easy to remember." Aki leaned toward Karen.

"And what do we have here?" The blue-haired took noticed a familiar face among the captives. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Y-yo, Azure-sama."

"Always sticking your nose into where you shouldn't. You're just looking forward to get your nose bitten, is that it?"

"Bad habit. Can't change it."

"Right. Back to you people over there." Her iris eyes focused on the group. "Who are you? You first, redhead."

"Ehem! Aki Nakahashi."

"Karen...Nakahashi."

"Leila Lou."

"…" At first, Erika didn't want to give out her name, but her stubbornness soon resigned.

"...Erika. Erika Itsumi."

"Erika hah? A fitting name for our school theme." A sailor nearby said, invoking many to snicker.

"Uhm...Erika-san is—"

"Hush now dear." Azure interjected. "I didn't allow you to speak yet."

"So...uhm, Azure...sama? We're extremely sorry for...trespassing your territory. We would gladly to...pay the fine?"

"Oh, but of course." Soon she changed sitting pose by extending one boot toward them.

"Lick my shoes."

All five were grimaced by her proposal.

"Mein Gott, she is the dominatrix type..." Karen whined.

"Oh~ You don't even know half of it." A rough-looking sailor with a blushing face whispered into Karen's ear.

"Gek!"

"Let's go with this one, eh?" Another sailor pointed the finger at Karen. "Seem like a good candidate."

"U-uhm, I-I d-didn't brush my teeth this morning! W-wah, don't touch m—"

" **HOLD IT!** "

Erika's voice captured all the attention in the room once more.

"Azure-sama! I...I challenge you!"

"Oh-ho?"

"Hey you bi—you little brat! You're challenging her to fight in Sensha-do?!"

Immediately followed her words, the crowd was stirred up.

"Who the hell does she think she is?" "This ought to be good though."

"Watch out. We've got a badass over here."

Azure swiftly made a sharp sound with her fan, ceasing the muttering.

"Do you think you can arrange a match between us and you? Without capturing anyone's attention in school?"

"No. Not in Sensha-do." She said softly before she raised her voice. "Tankathlon!"

The word brought a question mark to many, saved for the two certain auburn-haireds.

"What is this…Tankathlon you speak of?"

"It's a match organized by the tank crew. The rule is simple, your tank is under ten tons. You can enter it."

"Hmm, an unofficial Sensha-do match." Azure lifted an eyebrow out of curiousity. "Hard to believe a prestige student of Kuromorimine would do such a thing."

"Oh believe it! Why? Because standing behind me are the solid proofs. Meet the...Puma team!"

"Puma team?" The crowd showed curious and puzzled.

"Is she talking about you, sis?" Karen asked, feeling nervous by everyone's gaze.

"I think she is talking about **us**!"

"Nani?! Oi. Oi. Don't drag us into this!" Karen burst out. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

It was this moment, the girl stood up on her own two feet, unwavering and firm.

Summoning a volume of air, she declared.

"I am Erika Itsumi. I'm the Vice-Commander of the Sensha-do team, Middle High Division. Under the command of Miho Nizhisumi, the Commander."

The crowd soon roused up, whispering to each other.

"Erika-san..."

"Oh-ho, interesting."

"That's right. We will take you to fight in Tankathlon!"

There was quite a reaction among the crowd. Some showed curious while the others were discontented from Erika's spirit.

"What in the world are you doing?! What are you thinking, Erika-chan?!" The green-paled Leila hissed, could not believe what has just happened.

"..."

The noises immediately died down from the moment when the Ruler of Azure Clan quietly stood up from the seat and then made the approach toward Erika.

Each step was made. Leila's face was getting greener and greener.

Kai, Aki and Karen unconsciously pulled themselves away from the targeted girl.

The Ruler silently looked like the Vice-Commander with her iris-colored eyes before she gave an answer…

"No." She said it flatly.

"…n-no...?"

"First of all, I don't know how to operate a tank. Making me to do it is like asking a five year old. Also, you have too much advantage and experiences, and that's called cheating."

"That's right! That's right!"

The chamber echoed away with their booing noise.

The Ruler ceased the noise once more with her hand gesture.

"But then again...I may have some use of that, of your talent. Fufufu."

Her giggle made the group feeling blank, don't know what would happen next.

"Okay…You want to use me? Fine! I will be your errand girl."

Whistles, cheers and laughter made away by Erika's declaring.

"Erika-san! Please, you shouldn't—"

"Atta girl!" Azure was pleased.

"Now you let Miho go."

"Let's not be so rush. You have to fight for her freedom after all." She then returned back to her throne.

"Release them."

The guards were surprised at first, but they soon obeyed without having her to repeat it twice.

It brought much relief and ease to the group, at least only for Karen, Aki and Kai. Leila was not happy with this outcome.

"I would like to ask you one more thing though." Azure continued. "Why going so far for her sake?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

Summoned a volume of air into her lungs, Erika Itsumi looked at Azure with her determined eyes as she answered it straight away with her firm, clear voice.

"Because she is important to me!"

"..."

"..."

Strangely enough, after Erika's answer, there was a silence. Like a bomb named Silence has been detonated.

"…"

"…"

The light blond-haired quickly learned what's wrong and changed the words.

"I mean. To us, to **us!** To Kuromorimine! S-She is a Nishizumi after all!"

"..."

"..."

Everyone still put up their poker face, except Miho whose face was getting redder by the second, while Azure, skillfully used her fan to hide her smirk.

"Oh ho."

 _Oh no! Everybody is probably thinking that I am weird!_

 _'She is…interesting.'_ Karen thought.

 _'She swings that way huh.'_ Aki drew out the conclusion.

 _'Tsundere.'_ Kai concluded it as well.

 _'Erika-chan, so you're really…'_ Leila was on the verge of tears.

Universally, it was more than weird…

"…"

"How amusing. Don't you agree, Miho-chan?" Azure turned to Miho.

"Uhm…"

Before Miho could have say something, the Ruler quietly removed the collar.

"You can return to their side now."

"…Azure-san." Miho was relief but looking at the current outfit, she wasn't sure if she would want to return back to the surface now.

"Azure-sama." A sailor appeared with folded clothes on her hands. "The girl's clothes are dried."

"Good work."

The uniform was soon returned back to the owner.

"Th-thank you so much."

"Fufu, don't worry, dear. You can always return to me any time you want when that girl over there is bothering you too much."

"N-No, Erika-san is not…" Miho kept herself calm while looking straight at Azure's face. "She isn't like that. So please, stop mocking her!"

Momentary stunned by her words, the blue haired then let a small giggle behind her fan. She then shifted her gaze back to the group, to Erika particularly.

"I will contact you later when I have an official job for you."

"And please do remember that: Don't ever think you would be safe when you're back on the surface. Walls have ears and windows have eyes."

"Oh, and don't worry. All will be restricted in the… _Sensha-do_ business."

"Take good care of yourself. We will meet again soon."

~0~

The whole gang was released, not in the manner getting toss out of the front gate though. They're fortunate enough to be escorted to the service elevator which will take them back to the surface, cue ending the horror and suspended episode of the day.

"Was it…was it just a dream or did it really happen down there?"

Riding in the noisy ascending platform, Leila finally broke the silence, feeling too bewildered of what had transpired.

"Erika-san. I'm sorry I..."

"Save it." Erika shook her head lightly, still bearing the frustration inside her head. "Now all we need to do is focusing on not letting that blue hair get on our asses."

"That's what she said."

"Uhm..."

"What's wrong, Kat?"

"I don't know if this...Azure- _sama_ is attractive or terrifying...probably a little bit of both."

"..."

"..."

 _Is this the turning point in history where she has come out from the closet?_

"So you're called Miho, the younger sister of Maho Nishizumi?"

"Uhm…yes, and you're…"

"I'm Aki. And this is my little sis, Karen."

"Hi." She greeted along with a waving hand. "You're cute!"

"O-oh! Uhm...thank you..."

While Miho's face was slowly turning into a tomato, Erika's face went as pale as a white sheet. The trauma was still there.

 _God grant me strength if I have to strangle this Succubus to death!_

Noticing Erika's dark expression, Karen only put up a question mark on top of her head.

Without a warning, Miho was suddenly pulled into Aki as her head was pressed onto her chest.

"What are you doing?!" Erika cried out.

"Comfort therapy. It must have been very hard for you back there. Don't be shy, Miho-chan. Can I call you Miho-chan? Oh, don't you worry. You can cry on big sister's shoulder as much as you want."

Aki's words coming in rapidly like machine gun only baffled Erika, Leila and Miho.

"Uhm...n-no, I'm good. I'm okay. Really!" Miho's flustered face only…charmed Aki more and more.

"Ohh, she is so cute!" She had no intention of letting her go yet.

 _God. Make that **two!**_

 _I never thought that Aki-senpai is this dangerous as well!_

"To be honest, I always assumed that the Nishizumi women were all cold and tough, but you're completely different than them. Oh, it's a compliment, really!" Aki said.

"Hey, let me have her too."

The raging Erika shifted back to the younger auburn-haired, only to be horrified, seeing her ten fingers were making odd move like...tentacles.

"Here you go." The elder skillfully pushed Miho into the younger's opened arm.

"Don't pass her around like some object!"

Miho's face soon welcomed with another pair of...mammal parts as she felt the pleasant warm.

Leila looked at them for a moment and then looked down at herself. She made both fists out of her hands. Not out for frustrated or defeated, but with hope and satisfied, since she believed that she has more room to grow.

"Oh wow! This feels...so good! Like hugging a big teddy bear."

"I know, right! Make you feeling cute and calm."

"Ah-hahaha..."

"If you're the Commander of the team, then I wouldn't mind following your order."

"Th-thank you."

"My turn now!" Aki quickly took Miho away and made the second episode.

"Oooh~ I'm _so_ wanting to take you home and make you become mine."

"Stop doing that!" Erika raised her voice.

"MMMm~ Doing what?" Both Aki and Karen asked innocently.

"Giving Miho your...fun pillow...thing..."

Fully aware of what Erika was talking about, the two sisters formed evil smiles on their face.

"Ara Ara~ she is jealous."

"Ara Ara indeed."

Erika opened her eyes wide momentary before she recollected herself.

"Will you two stop that? I totally get it. But that is **_not_** how Ara-ara works."

To Erika's surprise, the two along with the sailor looked at her with their dumbfounded faces.

""You actually got that?!""

"Uhm…well…"

"?"

Leila and Miho only expressed their confused faces.

 _I only learned it the hard way when you two were_ _alone together with Anchovy's little brother…_

 _Death by Snu Snu, hah?_

...

...

The elevator halted at one certain level, allowing the tag-along bandanaed girl to exit.

"I need to return back to my gang." Kai said, stretching out her arms. "Obama wouldn't be pleased to hear about this."

"Uhm…thank you. For helping us." Miho politely said.

"You're welcome." Kai smiled.

Before she walked away, she put her face close to one of Erika's ears and whispered.

"You better keep your girlfriend closer from now on."

Erika's blood shot straight up to her head.

"She is not my...!" With a level head, Erika stopped just in time before she speaks out the one word just to dig a hole for herself.

Or throwing herself out of the ship at that.

"See ya." Kai bid her farewell in a cool fashion by putting up one hand and walked away, never look back.

"She is...kinda cool." Leila admitted.

"Whatever..." Erika groaned as she hit the close button, having the elevator continued to ascend.

...

...

Finally, the elevator had come to an end. The group walked out of the platform and what greeted them was the beautiful orange sun ray.

"Hey, what's the reason you three went down there for actually?" Karen asked Leila.

"We-well…I followed them, actually. I saw Erika-chan asked Miho-san out. I mean! I know it's not that kind of ask out! She just ask Miho-san out and…and…I'm just too curious an—"

"Leila. Leila." Erika called out as she pulled Leila back to her side.

"Leila, can you escort Miho back to the dorm? I'm sure you two are very tired and need a good rest."

"But what about you?" asked Miho.

"I, uh...I would like to have a moment with the senpais here."

There was a brief moment before Leila finally gave the answer.

"...Fine! You owned me some cake."

"However you wish, your highness."

"Hihi, that's more like it." Leila soon pushed Miho from behind, giving her no chance to decline. "Come on, Miho-san. Lets leave this place."

Once they had gone out of sight, Erika turned back to redheads who had returned back to their usual state.

"Right. So are you going murder us in cold blood when there's no witness to see?" Karen asked.

"Don't temp me."

 **""!?""**

The two immediately put up their Stand, waiting for the one to make the first move.

"..."

"..." "..."

"That's a joke. Sorry..."

The tension was lifted up between them.

"That's disappointing." said Aki.

"Yare yare daze." Karen sighed.

"What I want to say is...I need senpai's help."

"With what?"

"Where and how to participate Tankathlon?"

"Before we get to that," Aki approached close to Erika. She looked straight at her face with her silver eyes. "Can you tell us the reason how did you three, I mean, _you_ and Miho-chan come down there?"

"..."

…

…

Erika managed to convince them with vague (reasonable enough) excuse about how one Commander should have acts.

"Sooo in order for Miho-chan to gain more confident. You wanted to take her down to the place to meet some...people?"

 _You are. You two!_

"T-that's the plan, yes." Erika nodded. "I thought that _they_ would be there but…I heard wrong."

 _Seeing you two didn't built any solid ground or reputation down here. Having Miho to meet you would be...out of the blue and for no reason at all..._

 _Then again..._

"But…I think this is alright though..." Erika continued. "Since I've found you two."

"I have...heard things about you, senpai. You've participated the Tankathlon."

Instead of an excited face or one 'celebrity' would express, Aki only showed a...skeptical face.

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure I've kept things about me quite incognito though." She placed a hand on her chin.

Erika's face promptly broke off a few small sweat drops.

"Y-you can't underestimate the eyes and ears of Kuromorimine students. We're quick to catch thing up."

"...that's true." She bought it. "But, why me?"

"Because I…I believe you, you two, uh…can change things around here."

"Kuromorimine is a strong school, a strong team. It has the Nishizumi Style. But it…it lacks something."

"Character...Individual personality. I guess."

"That's some deep psychology, or philosophy, but whatever." Karen said.

"I guess that's something I can get behind." Aki finally accepted it.

"You will join to me to make some trouble? Alright, you're in!"

"But this...whole thing with Azure-san... _sama._ Is she actually keeping tabs on us, or is she bluffin—"

Karen's sentence was ceased when she got hit by some sort of projectile.

It's a piece of folded paper.

It said: _**W** e **a** r_e _ **w** At_c _ **H** InG **y** o **U!**_

They're written in blood...

"I have to close the curtain from now on." Karen was grimaced.

"Let me ask this one serious question though." Aki looked straight at Erika. "Are you trying to corrupt the younger Nishizumi?"

"..."

"..."

It was quite a long moment for the light blond haired finally gave the answer.

"...yes."

"Awesome!"

~0~

"Shell loaded!" The loader reported.

"Target acquired. Awaiting your order."

"…"

The silence had the crew looked back up to their tank commander, Erika Itsumi.

"Erika-san?"

"Oh! O-oh right!" She snapped back as she immediately gave the order. "Open fire!"

"Firing!" The gunner fired the gun.

The projectile launched from the barrel and hit the designated target within two seconds.

"Direct hit. Good job." The radio operator said.

"Ehe! I'm getting good at this" Megumi felt proud.

"You ok there, Erika-san? You seemed spaced out." Takumi asked.

"I'm okay. I'm alright." She answered it, putting a smile to ease their worriness.

 _To be honest, how did it get twist so much? How far can I make her, to be mature by the time before the 62nd event?_

 _Of course I need change a lot more at that as well..._

"Erika-san. Erika-san!"

Miho's calling snapped Erika back the reality once more. She only found her mind was absent so much lately.

"Hm? Hm! I-I'm here. What is it, Mi—I mean, Commander?"

Miho didn't say a word, only cast her gaze down.

"...It's my fault. Isn't it?" Miho said softly. "I shouldn't let myself be—"

"N-no! It's not—"

*Honk! Honk!*

The honking sound prompted Erika and Miho to look toward the source. Approaching fast was a tub car known as Kübelwagen. The driver and the passenger riding on it was none other than the two red-haired sisters, both wearing the Sensha-do black jacket.

"Ya-hoo! Erika-chan! Ah, Miho-chan is here too!"

"Karen-senpai. Aki-senpai!" Miho was astonished.

The presence of the two senpais quickly became the center of the attention.

"Uhm, senpai? What are you planning?" Erika whispered to Karen.

"Making you girls the super stars."

"C'mere, you little cutie thing you!" Aki charged at Miho with her opened arms.

The hugging scene between Aki and Miho only caused baffled to everyone, much to Erika's dismay.

"Do you know anything about this, Leila-san?" asked Takumi.

"Nope. No idea." She played dumb.

Since the practice session had ended, it was the perfect opportunity for them to 'borrow' the Commander and Vice-Commander. Karen and Miho sat in the back while Erika was sitting on the passenger side next to Aki, the driver.

"...So where are we going now?" asked Erika.

"To the Hangar." Aki replied. "We're gonna get us some tanks!"

...

...

It was a familiar sight. All were too well known, from a pop-pop cracking noise of the blazing blowtorch cutting metal plates to a clanking noise of a wrench tightening up the bolt. Engine's test running. The dense smell of oil.

Something hasn't changed was sure good for Erika's heart and mind.

"Hey Chief!" The oldest-looking man in group, wearing overall turned his face upon the calling.

"Heh, color me surprise." Erika muttered. "Never think that Chief still got his hair back then."

"Hm? Did you just say something, Erika-san?"

"I-It's nothing."

"Well, well, isn't this my beloved troublesome nephews." The old mechanic approached, wiping off some oil on his hand. "What do you need from me? Or you want to discuss something about your tank?"

"Actually, we're not here to talk about Sensha-do. It's the _other_ one."

With Aki's words, Chief Keni gave a look at the four.

"You even dragged two new faces into your mess."

"Oh, but here is the twist. They are asking for it!"

The Chief lifted up an eyebrow.

"Well, Erika-chan here, the blond one, is asking for it."

"Uhm, we would like t—"

"Shh! Not here!"

He signaled the girls to follow him to an area where no one was nearby.

"I swear. Next time you'll come to me and ask me how to wreak havoc Kuromorimine before you graduate."

"Come on, gram. You're making me bad in front of my cute juniors here."

"...My sister wouldn't do it, but maybe **I** will!" Karen replied casually. "Make chaos. Maybe create a whole civil war, with me leading the rebels."

Even though Erika knew it was merely a joke, but she couldn't help but having a shiver down on her back.

"So? What do you need?"

"Anything else...that is in the back? Not on the display?"

"Drop the whole line from some movie, kid. I'm more into the drama TV show."

The group giggled until Erika stepped up and said,

"We'd like some tanks, which are no longer participated into the Kuromirimine's official formation. They have to be…agile, possible to operate with just two-man crew."

Chief silently looked at Erika as he placed a hand on his chin, thinking for a moment.

"I've got something you might like."

The Chief had the group walk to a hangar nearby. Contrast to the previous one, what greeted them were only the silence and dust, lost of dust.

"Whoa, look at all those tanks." Karen amazed by a number of tanks lined up on both side. "It's a bit sad to see them not to be used anymore."

"Indeed."

They stopped in front of a certain tank that clearly was not made by the German, but a captured one.

"Wow, 7TP. It's a Polish tank."

"Despite having light armor, this little bastard's Bofors 37mm gun can penetrate every German tank back in that war, even the newest Panzer IV. A good tank, no doubt. Too bad, its small number couldn't change the outcome of the war."

The girls were impressed, seeing its condition was well-maintained.

"A good edge for us." Karen nodded with approval.

"Aki-senpai," Erika spoke up. "I believe this is a good tank for you. Karen-senpai can be the gunner while you drive around, causing chaos."

To her unexpected, the two named sisters only looked at Erika with both surprised and curious faces.

"W-what?" Erika asked.

"That's what we're thinking of doing it too…but…how did you know that my sister is a gunner?"

"C-come on now, she has a knack for it, right? She is a good gunner. I've heard about you from other senpais."

"You sure have heard _a lot_ about me. I'm flattered." Karen's frowning face didn't match with her words.

Erika only let out a small awkward laugh.

Miho noticed there was another light tank sitting nearby. It looked like a mini version of Panzer III, but with a turret is similar to Panzer II's.

"Panzer I Ausf. C," The Chief revealed the name. "It's a revised and improved model from Ausf. A and B. Pretty much a support vehicle in the last years of the war. Even so, with its EW 141 anti-tank rifle, it might as well as can go toe-to-toe with other light tanks out there."

"I guess we can use this." Erika examined the tank briefly. "Don't you think so, Miho?"

"Uhm, I think we can."

"Miho? You mean, from the Nishizumi?" The Chief asked.

"…Uhm, yes. Hello."

"Jesus, you've gone as far as to corrupt a Nishizumi member now, haven't you?"

"In our defense, _she_ is the culprit." The two pointed the finger at the blonde.

The Chief shook his head, simply didn't buy it.

Erika couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, I guess that's youth for ya. Can't say it's a life if you don't experience it all." The Chief muttered to himself, then turned to Miho. "May I ask, how's Tsuneo-kun, your father?"

"W-well, last I heard that he is still in Africa, helping the local around."

"Ha! I can imagine those locals already grateful to have him as the mechanic to fix their cars to run in the middle of desert without a hitch."

Miho chuckled lightly.

"You know. This Panzer I here, it was tuned in by your father."

"Oh, really?"

"Of course! I begin to think this is…fate, a connection between a daughter and a father."

"Thank you, Chief Keni."

"But since you're doing those unauthorized matches, you don't get the chance to use my parts to fix those tanks, ok? You break it, you buy it. And no! Don't pull out those puppy eyes. I'm more of a cat person."

"Tsk!" "At least we tried."

The sisters groaned.

"You can find some of those parts in some tank shops. Ooarai is a good place. They're cheap too."

"Guess we should hit Ooarai city when we have the chance."

"...Does Ooarai have a Sensha-do club?" Miho asked.

"..."

"As long as I know, their club has been shut down for about two decades, I think." Chief said. "Kind of pity, Sensha-do isn't that much popular to maidens these days."

"Since we're winning all the time." Aki said. "Eight times in a row."

"Touché." Karen agreed.

"..."

"Erika-chan?" Aki asked

"Hm? Oh! Oh, sorry." She was quickly snapped back to the present. "I got distracted there for a moment."

"..." Miho only looked at Erika silently.

...

...

The orange sky was soon replaced with a dark blue night curtain. Back to the dormitory where one freedom might be viewed as limited because of the girls in yellow shirts was doing the patrol and occasionally checking up the present of student to see anyone dare to break the curfew. Save for one room that the Disciplinary members didn't have to check, **or** didn't want to bother her since she was a family member of the Nishizumi.

Sitting on the bed with her back against the wall, Miho hugged her favorite brown Boko bear quietly.

* * *

My name is Miho Nishizumi.

For many generations, my family held the practices of Sensha-do. Nishizumi Style is what our family has created.

It bears three important points.

The first important point is: firing at the target without missing.

The second is: let the heavy armor do the defensive work.

The last point is: advance forwards in perfect file.

The Nishizumi Style was adhered by Kuromorimine School as their doctrine.

You could say that we are famous. The Nishizumi name is well-recognized all over the Japan. When I was young, I was very proud of Onee-chan. She often appeared on TV and newspaper. Even during the time she was oversea, everyone talked to me about her all the time.

But I...I'm not like Onee-chan.

I'm shy...and imperfect in many ways...

Despite being so, a lot of expectations were riding on me when I've enrolled in Kuromorimine.

Before I could have settled in properly, Onee-chan already suggested that I should take the Vice-Commander position. I...I was not confident and I felt...bad for taking someone's position away as easily as snap of a finger.

Doubt, anxiety were filling in my chest.

But because I'm a Nishizumi, I have to work hard to meet everyone expectation.

I **have** to.

I have to...

 _'Are you nervous?'_

It was then, I've met her, Erika Itsumi.

Like me, she was one of the first year members just joined in the team.

She appeared in my class one day. Just to return the Boko key chain that I accidentally dropped.

At first thought, I assumed it'd be a brief moment between her and me. I simply needed to say thank you and...that's it. In my own mental scenario and ,my own script.

However, Erika-san, she didn't leave right away just yet. Funny thing was that when she asked about Boko. I felt so delighted because it's been so long that someone mentioned Boko. It got me so embarrassed when I had jumped the gun like that…but Erika-san didn't seem to be bothered much by it.

 _'Are you nervous? Taking this Vice-Commander position right away after the enlistment?'_

It was a question that I couldn't simply answer it with yes or no.

I...wanted to meet the expectations of Onee-chan and mother. On the other hand, I was...anxious, I didn't want to do it.

However, as a child of a Nishizumi, I have to.

 _'No matter what befall us, we advance!'_

My mother's words. Always had us keep moving forward, no matter the cost.

That's the Nishizumi Style.

I have to work hard to meet everyone expectation. To prove the Nishizumi Style.

I have to...

 _'…Sure it's rough for you. Hang in there.'_

Like someone had turned on the light, as my body felt strangely warm when I received such words.

Words of caring.

She reminded me of my childhood friends. Hitomi-chan. Chihiro-chan.

At that moment, I already wanted to become friend with Erika-san.

However, with the announcement of me assuming the role of Vice-Commander under Onee-chan certainly would make many…jealous and skeptical.

Even though they didn't show it directly to me, but I could feel it.

The distance between me and everyone.

My crew, they're newcomers like the others. However, with me being their Commander, it only put too much stress on them.

So I was not confident that whether I could make her a friend or not.

When the two senior members started the quarrel, I was...petrified.

I didn't have the heart to tell them to stand down.

If I did, I fear...I'd lose a piece of myself...

But then Erika-san, you...

Erika-san. She truly surprised me…

She quelled down the whole commotion instantly with her own trick. I was so relief and grateful to Erika-san but what happened next was completely unexpected.

She looked straight at me with her crystal blue eyes and said this.

 _'Vice-Commander. I would like request a challenge duel with you.'_

Why Erika-san? Why?

Many thoughts run wild inside my head, I couldn't tell what has happened or what was going on inside that girl's head!

 _'Can you prove it to me that you're willing to fight...with your own will and...not just being as a...Nishizumi?'_

However, that question, that very question. It reminded me so much of her, Emi-chan, one of my dearest childhood friends.

When I accepted her challenge, I was quite surprised at myself.

Like I've expected it, she was good. She was _very_ good.

All the tricks I've pulled, she already predicted it and made a move ahead of us.

I was both amazed and...relieved.

She was so good that I...I wanted her to take over my position. I wanted myself, the burden to be released out of my chest.

It's my own selfish thought.

However, in that final moment of the match, when I saw Erika was charging at me frontally...

My hands...unconsciously loaded the new magazine into the cannon. Like there's some sort of force, pushing me to do it.

I loaded the weapon and open fire.

Before I even knew what had happened, the match ended in a draw.

I simply found it's hard to believe…

When I looked at Erika, or rather, when she looked at me, I was simply...at lost and dumbfounded.

Like she knew, she already knew my own intention.

When we met face to face again in the locker room, my fear was confirmed.

I only apologized to her, and before I could explain my reason. She startled me by slamming the lockers. I still remembered her icy blue eyes staring at me vividly.

 _'You're underestimating me, Miho Nishizumi.'_

 _'If you love Sensha-do, then you should respect it. Not **defile** it.'_

She was right. How could I be some foolish?

But at the same time, I didn't want it. I didn't want to bear such responsibility.

I…

What was the reason she want to fight me in the first place?

She didn't want the Commander seat. She already told it in front of Onee-chan.

So why? Why would she wanted to fight me?

I soon learned why.

 _""We're very sorry for our action, Vice-Commander!""_

When the senpais showed up and bowed their heads to me, I was really confused.

 _"We're so sorry for…doubting you."_

 _"You're…really good at what you're doing, Vice-Commander."_

I learned the reason.

The purpose of that duel…it was to help me.

It was Erika's plan all along.

It would be a lie if I said I don't appreciate for what she's done.

But why would she go such length for my sake?

And I…I've insulted her effort with my own petty selfish thought…

I shouldn't meet her. I shouldn't lead the team. I wasn't worthy of this position. I wasn't...

I dwelt myself in those thoughts as I walked on the street alone, aimlessly, in order to have myself some...solitude.

Back in my hometown, when such similar things occurred, I'd often hid myself inside the Panzer II, to get over with those doubts and anxieties.

However, just my luck, I happened to meet Erika again by chance.

Obviously, she was dumbfounded as well, wondering I was doing in such a place.

I didn't know what to do next. Should I start a conversation or just...run, get out of her sight? I didn't do anything, except that I pointed out the sauce that was stuck on her face. She must had ate something nearby.

"...thanks..." she said.

"Oh...it's nothing..."

I tried to put a smile on my face, I really didn't know it's good or bad...

With things as they were, my only thought that I should apologize to her and be on my way…

But she…

 _'Sorry. I guess I was too harsh on you. I'm sorry.'_

Why? Why was she apologizing?! It's my fault! I should be the one who say it!

I tried to stop her but I...

I...

I just couldn't hold it.

I let out those stupid tears. I wanted to run away...but I couldn't...

Like things just washed up away, pushing this...swelling inside my chest.

I stood there and cried pathetically...

But then Erika-san…

 _'G-get over here!'_ To my bewilderment, she grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

She took me to a bench where I can recollect my thought.

She calmed me down, and brought me some drink and tissues.

Then...she began to tell a story...her story, her childhood story, the one that I didn't think she would share it to everyone that openly…

I never thought Erika had gone over such hardship. However, in my heart, that's what truly means about Sensha-do.

All Erika wanted to do was to do her very best in Sensha-do and enjoyed it.

 _'Sensha-do isn't just about refining one's technique with tanks. It wasn't to forge the body and soul. Or polish the self.'_

 _'It was to polish a person in the way they should be.'_

They were the words from Kikuyo-san, my house servant. If not thanks to her and Hitomi-chan and Chihiro-chan. I would be very regretted if I didn't say goodbye to Emi-chan on the day she left.

Emi-chan. Despite we didn't started at the best term, but we eventually became best friends. Through Sensha-do. We rode the tank together. Challenged Onee-chan.

Perhaps, that's why Erika-san, she…

Either win or lose, she simply wanted to do it with her very best.

That's what I wanted to do it too. To have fun in doing Sensha-do. I wanted to do Sensha-do because it's fun.

The time I've spent with my childhood friends had proved just that.

Hitomi-chan.

Chihiro-chan.

I wonder what you guys are doing now.

Emi-chan.

I wonder if you're already joined up with one of best and strong German teams yet.

They're right.

It wasn't about the Nishizumi Style.

It's about finding one true self. One's own way of doing in Sensha-do.

Erika already had found her own Sensha-do.

That's why she wanted to help me, to help me to find my own.

Even though I was worried about so many things, everything came out well in the end. Thanks to her.

Little by little, bit by bit. I managed to stay strong and led the girls well in the training for the past year.

Whenever I was wrong, Erika-san was the first one to correct me. Whenever I was in trouble, she was the first one to reach her hand out to me.

Even though she was rather blunt at times, but I do not dislike it.

The girls in my class…they generally…treated me nice, even with my mistakes I've made during training. They simply let it slide. The only reason I received such treatment because of my last name, the achievement of my sister and my mother had earned through Sensha-do.

But Erika, on the other hand, she came up to me and pointed out the problem right away so I can fix it.

It made me feel...happy. She treated me like I was…me, I'm just being me. Not some girl bearing the Nishizumi name.

I'm very grateful to her. She even able to get my most wanted Boko bear back in the arcade store. Till now, I didn't know how did she even get it.

And we had become friend since then.

I like Erika-san…

Like...

 _'Maybe she is really onto you!'_

That's what Takeko-san, Erika's driver's said.

I remembered it when we're sitting together in a burger shop. Takeko-san engaged that conversation as soon as Erika went to the restroom.

 _'You're not gonna believe it. Whenever she caught some girls saying something bad about you, she immediately stepped in and defends you.'_

 _'She is treating you like a princess.'_

Hearing it, I simply blushed hard.

 _'Oh yeah. That's what girlfriend would d—'_ The grinning driver failed to noticed the blood-lust white wolf with blue eyes approaching from behind.

 _'Shut it!'_ The werewolf Erika scraped Takeko's head with her claws.

The poor girl only cried with distress.

"Girlfriend... Like…" I muttered the words as my mind continued to relive Erika's words delivered to me.

 _'Because…I'm interested in you.'_

My heart started to beating in unusual pace.

She was rather...a strange person.

She would easily...get flustered for some reason or distracted one way or another, always so blunt.

Even in that moment too…

 _'Why going so far for her sake?'_

 _'Isn't that obvious?'_

 _'Because she is important to me!'_

With her words, I got butterflies in my stomach...

Before I even knew it, Azure-san let us go in order for us to fight on this…unsanctioned Sensha-do match, Tankathlon. It was the first time I've heard of it but Erika seemed to know about it already.

She even had two senpais from High School Division to help with, they're even sisters no less. How strange, it like she had a strange good connection with those two long ago...

*tap*

The noise coming from the window promptly pulled me back to the reality.

*tap* There it was again, like something just hit onto the glass.

I soon opened the window and took a look outside...

"Ah, there's our lovely princess in the tower."

"Ya-ho! Commander Miho-chan."

"Keep your voice down, senpai!"

"Aki-senpai. Karen-senpai. Even Leila-san too!" I exclaimed but I quickly put my hands over my mouth as looked back to my room's door, making sure that no Disciplinary member was outside.

"Stand back." Aki-senpai signaled me to stay away from the window.

Immediately, a grappling hook was thrown and successfully hooked up the window's stool.

"Get dress up, Miho-chan. Before the dragon get ya."

Such a bizarre event was happening right before me, however, this was...rather nostalgic to be honest. It reminded me how I was such a...tomboy when I was young.

I couldn't help but smile and think.

 _I didn't see this one coming._

...

* * *

 **Reader: New chapter! !**

 **Everyone: Hell yeah! Yes! Woohooo!**

 ***Finished the chapter***

 **Reader: Now we wait again…**

 **Everyone: Aww~ Damn it!**

 **Me: I'm sorry…**

 **Inner me: No you don't. And now I pulled a little sneaky on ya.**

...

* * *

 ***– Sneak peak –***

 **« Welcome to the Tankathlon! »** The MC announced as the fire was blazing wildly over the hill.

"Sugoi..." Miho and Leila were amazed by the sight.

"We are going to make a name for ourselves!" said Aki.

...

...

"Who are those girls?" "I recognize that school emblem. It's Kuromorimine!"

The reveal of two Kuromorimine light tanks joining in the chaos promptly gained the attention from the curious onlookers.

"There was a certain man saying this quote: it's kind of fun to do the impossible." The spirit of Erika the Radical was still burning strong inside her.

…

…

"Wee-hoo! Look at it flying!"

The law of physic did not apply to those 10-ton vehicles.

"I believe that I can flyyyy~!" Karen singed out loud.

"I somehow think I've lost the plot along the way now..." sighed Erika.

...

...

Before the team could enter their Panzers to fight, Leila pointed her finger toward a point of interest.

"Erika-chan. Look over there."

Eyeing toward the tree, there sitting a young girl playing a Kantele, a Finnish stringed instrument.

"...A strange cold wind just came by." said the girl as she played the strings softly.

...


	5. I should have seen this coming

**The story so far...**

 **Erika Itsumi, for some reason, somehow, she was able to traveled back in time, back to the very first day she enrolled into Kuromorimine Middle High.**

 **Inner me: That's what I called lazy writing.**

 **Me: Shut it! *continue the narration* And with the opportunity she has, Erika the Radical, intended to change the past...in a way, by helping Miho to become a different person. To be more confident, decisive, and of course, _dominant_ so Miho can conquer Erika in anyway she wan—**

 **Erika: Oi! Oi! _Oi!_ Where the hell you're going with this?!**

 **Me: Ehem! Sorry, getting a bit sidetrack there.**

 **Erika: *icy glare***

 **Me: And in the course of helping Miho to become a…strong-minded person. Erika took Miho down below deck so in a way, she can corrupt Miho like the way Karen did to Erika.**

 **Karen: Ooohhh~ I like that!**

 **Erika: *blushing* okay, I can't deny that...but not in a way like that Succubus did!**

 **Karen: I'm hurt, Erika-chan. I will tease you further in the main series.**

 **Erika: Please don't...**

 **Me: Unfortunately, Erika's plan is already thrown out of the window when the two had walked themselves into with the Turf War.**

 **Kai: Ah yes, the Dark Age.**

 **Erika: Wait, you're...Kai! _My_ Kai, not that the other Kai, who is more mature and cooler...Who was she?**

 **Me: Quiet! And they were captured by a gang called Azure, led by none other than Azure-sama.**

 **Azure: Fufufu, I always love it when someone mentions my name.**

 **Karen & Aki: Hey! What about us?**

 **Me: ...along with the grumpy Karen and the wild Aki.**

 **Karen & Aki: ...grumpy? Wild?**

 **Me: And after a confrontation which Erika desperately tried to protect Miho. They soon came to a deal that, by participating the Tankathlon in Azure name. The sailors will leave them alone.**

 **Inner me: Like I said, confusing writing right there.**

 **Me: Want to hear a funny joke? I don't know what I was writing at that point.**

 **Aki: Hey, a wild thought occurred.**

 **Me: ?**

 **Aki: This is technically a time-traveled story, so how old Erika-chan was exactly before she got sent back?**

 **Erika: ...17?**

 **Aki: And then you get back 5 years prior. So that makes you...22 years old.**

 **Me & Everyone: ...**

 **Aki: And then you seek out Miho who was 14 at a time. Doesn't that make you a... _lolicon_?**

 **Everyone: *mouth opened wide***

 **Erika: *turned as white as sheet.***

 **Me: ...oh...**

 **Then the door was knocked repeatedly.**

 **"FBI! OPEN UP!"**

 **Following the C4 breaching, a SWAT team stormed in, destroying everything in my room.**

 **And so, Re:Start is permanently dead.**

 **...**

 **...**

 **Me: well, that's enough with the out of season April Fool's joke...sorry for the wait. Hope you have a good read and enjoy.**

 **Aki: I know you're alone. Instead, I will play this arpeggio~**

 **Me: What?**

 **cue Opening: [ALEXANDROS] - Arpeggio / Judge Eyes OP**

 **...**

* * *

Hidden in the darkness where the street light wouldn't reach, were two light tanks; 7TP and Panzer I Ausf.C. With more secure measure, they're camouflaged with tree branches and leaves skillfully.

Leaning her back on the Panzer I was Erika Itsumi, she wore her long hair into a ponytail. Simple, yet cool. That's the praising she earned from her crew mates and Miho.

Little did they know, Erika was known as the Radical.

Or at least that's _title_ she'd earned back in her old timeline.

The reason how or why she ended up in the past was no longer sought out, for she had lived this second life like everyone else for two years already.

In this present, she was simply known as…the Vice-Commander of Kuromorimine Sensha-do team, Middle High Division.

And her objective was to help and change Miho to be a better person.

 _This is my second change to help Miho in many ways._

 _But my assumption had bested my judgement._

 _I wanted her to meet Aki and Karen-senpai._

 _We did meet them but somehow, we also met an unwanted character._

 _Azure. And her so-called clan._

 _We weren't able to learn her real name, but that's not important._

 _Now the reason why we were out here?_

 _Because she had sent the ultimatum letter, saying that we should go out and fight in her name._

 _Then again, this was actually a good chance for her to built up some character. Rebellious, confident, or whatever suited her…_

 _" **Truly?** Or are you really just hate that character of her, being a dunce and all."_

The sarcastic voice whispered into her mind once more.

 _"So much that you can't even accept her even when she has beat the All-Stars University team."_

 _"You are just trying to 'shape' her into somebody that more…preferable to your taste."_

"Shut up!" Erika hissed.

"Erika-san!" Hearing Miho's voice, Erika quickly composed herself.

"...Miho." It's fortunate that Miho and the others did not hear her own...talking.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"You're late." Erika sighed lightly.

"Hey, don't blame us." Aki groaned. "It's pretty nerve breaking avoiding those patrols."

"I want to go home now." The listless Karen muttered.

"Come on, let's get moving. No time to waste." Erika said, climbing into the Panzer I's driver seat.

"Oh Erika-san, you can drive a tank?" asked Miho.

"Of course, after all I've learned how to fly a..."

She stopped there. Indeed, in the future, Erika gained quite a skill in controlling many vehicles, she even learned how to fly a Fa 223 Drache and Zeppelin.

"A-Anyway, you take the command and gunner seat." Erika gave the instruction.

"Uhm...What about me?"

Unexpectedly to Leila, a silence was what followed.

"...Be the heart of the team?" Erika said.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"A moral support."

A deep cry of NOOOOO! echoed in the night.

"Yada! Yada! Yada! (No! No! No!) I want fight with you guys!" Leila acted like a child, threw a tantrum as she was laying on the ground.

"The Panzer I is only for two." Erika stated.

"What about 7TP? It's for three."

Erika looked toward the siblings.

"Yeaaaah...no." Karen said out flatly.

"Ack!"

Leila's color was rapidly drained away from herself.

"It's not that I against the idea of having a girl still in middle-high commanding us." Karen quickly explained. "Only experience instead."

"Leila-chan. Leila-chan. Look at this way."

"You are the bridge that connected us."

"Heehh~ Do I have to?" Leila whined.

"Trust me. You're a natural doing it."

"W-well! If you said so." Leila immediately bought them.

 _She is easy._

"Oh, come on. You're shy and you know it." Aki teased. She fully knew her little sister wouldn't be let herself easily to be commanded by someone else than her.

"Shut up!"

"Hihi." Unexpectedly, the giggling was coming from Miho.

"What's wrong, Miho-chan?" Leila asked.

"Uhm-hmm." Miho shook her head.

"It's just that...it reminds me of the time me and...Onee-chan playing together."

"So how does it feel, Miho-chan? Breaking out of the curfew for first time?" Aki asked as she was climbing into 7TP.

"W-well, to be honest...I'm…getting quite excited." Miho admitted.

"That's good to hear!"

"On a side note, just be prepared to write ten pages of self-reflect." Karen said, sighing. "The deepest cut back in middle school."

"Come on, let's get a move on." Erika urged them. "We don't want Feldgendarmerie on our ass before we get into the Tankathlon match."

"But where do we go? It's not like there's such match on this Kuromorimine ship." Leila asked.

"Don't worry. Somebody had got that covered for us."

Erika then ignited the engine.

~0~

"Oh, you girls have arrived. Good."

Azure was pleased, seeing the girls had presented themselves along with two light panzers behind them.

With the help of Azure's sailors, they're able to sneak the tanks get down to the lower deck of the school carrier where the hatch is located.

"I was getting rather anxious of thinking you're still tucking yourself nicely under the blanket."

"Trying to." Karen answered.

Leila and Miho had their heart skipped a beat. Erika and Kai, on the other hand, nudged her with their elbow.

"You just hit me?" Karen turned to the kouhai.

"No, I didn't." Erika lied.

"Where's Kai?" Azure asked.

Her question was rather surprised all five girls. Were they expecting that sailor girl to show up as well?

"Figure as much." The blue-haired sighed lightly. "She never wants to get into unnecessary trouble."

"Do we have the location? We don't have much time." Erika pressed on the matter at hand.

"Don't worry. We have arranged the ferry. It should take you about 30 minutes so get ready."

By Azure's words, she approached to one of the light tanks, Panzer I particularly.

"So this is a tank, interesting." Azure examined the interior through the opened hatch.

"Uhm…you're following us as well?" Leila asked.

"But of course. You'll need cheerleaders, right? We got you cover."

"Don't ever think about throwing the towel!" A sailor called out of sudden.

"We'll skin you alive, bitch!"

"Split roast!"

"Don't say something so disturbing!" Leila called out.

"Huh?" The 'cheerleader' team promptly shot at her with their dagger glare.

"Hiiiieeee!" Leila reflexively put herself behind Erika.

"Ahh~ Don't you appreciate such a good source of inspiration?" Azure smiled.

"Your standard is weird…" Karen then noticed the helmet-wearing girl who remained silent all the time.

"…don't you feel suffocate in there?"

A headshake.

"Is that person a he or she?" Karen inquired further.

"What, are you expecting a Fut…"

Azure noticed Miho and Leila were there.

"A handsome man under that helmet? Too bad, go ahead and have a lot of thinking about it!"

"She was about to say that word huh?" Aki muttered.

"Nice save there." Karen admitted.

~0~

The journey from the school ship to the mainland was uneventful. Looking at the sailor girls' carefree attitude, Erika assumed that they have done this so many times.

"Heh~ You have done this so many times?" Leila exclaimed.

 _That's what I said._

Looking toward the port side of the ferry, Erika spotted Leila and Miho was talking some conversations with the sailors.

"Uh-huh, Kuromorimine's rules always put a stress on us, you know? Tight schedule, timetable. Work us like horses. So we need some room to blow off steam."

"Miho-chan. Miho-chan. By any chance you can talk to your mother to make things easy for us?" A sailor suggested.

"Uhm…I…well…I really haven't talk to my mother…"

"That's a...pity."

"I can guess what sort of environment you're raised in."

"Especially when being compared with your sister constantly."

The words from the sailors made Miho felt somewhat troubled.

"Uhm..."

"But don't worry! You're welcome at our side!"

""Oooohhhh!""

"Fufu. So adorable." Azure smiled.

"…"

 _I absolutely have to win this deal to get Miho out. And fast!_

~0~

"It's…rather dark out here." Leila said, feeling nervous. The darkness shrouded where they're. The only thing that shine the path were the tanks' headlights and a few torches carried by the sailors sitting outside the tank.

"Don't worry, Miho-chan." Azure put her in quite a position where Miho could feel those...fun bags warmly. "If anything happens, I will protect you."

"Ha-haha..."

"..."

Leila was momentary jumped when she saw a certain _menacing_ aura was coming from the driver, Erika.

Without any word, a number of flares were shooting up in the sky.

"Over there!"

"Let's check it out."

Azure and the sailors quickly disembarked from the vehicles and run up toward the hill where the flares were fired.

 **« Welcome to the Tankathlon! »** The MC announced as the fire was blazing wildly over the hill.

"Sugoi..." They were amazed by the sight.

The light tanks exchanged fire after one and another.

"That looks very dangerous to the spectators." Leila said.

"Yes, they're too close to the actual combat." Miho was worried that they might get hurt.

"It's their own choice to put themselves at risk. After all, nothing beats the front row seats." Erika said.

"Erika-san. You already have been to Tankathlon event?"

"W-Well...it's a long time ago."

~0~

The Kuromorimine sailors quickly made themselves by setting up the picnic camp where the rug and foldable chairs were placed.

"Yo, we have registered you guys. Under Azure-sama's name of course." A sailor said.

"It should be Erika..." Leila muttered.

"It's alright. Kuromorimine is a prestige school, after all." Erika said. "It'd be quite a scandal if the words reached out to the teachers."

"And the Headmistress." Karen added, making Miho feel unpleasant by her own imagination.

 _Right...I totally forgot about that._

"Fufu. Don't worry dear. If it's come to that. You're welcome to my place at any time." Azure said in a sultry voice.

"Oi." Erika made sure the line was there.

"Don't blame me. This girl here makes you wanted to protect her and kidnapped her at the same time."

"That's true." Aki agreed.

"I'm calling the police."

The sailors promptly threatened Erika with 'pointy' blades.

Before a blood was spill, a soft music tune was caught by everyone's ears.

"Hey. Erika-chan. Look over there."

Leila pointed her finger toward a point of interest.

Eyeing toward the tree, there sitting a young brown-haired girl dressed in light blue uniform. She was playing a Kantele, a Finnish stringed instrument.

"...A strange cold wind just came by." muttered the girl as she hit the strings softly.

The hat-wearing girl soon noticed the presence of Kuromorimne girls.

"Oh, hello there."

"Hello to you too." Karen greeted back.

"What a beautiful person." Miho said.

Erika felt blood was drained a bit from her head.

 _Is that Mika-san? From Jatkosota High?_

"Ah, there you are, Mika." called a voice. "Always indulge yourself into..."

The glass-wearing girl bearing short blue hair approached toward the Kantele-playing girl. She then spotted Aki, so did the latter.

"A-Aki?!"

"Rumi!?"

""What are you doing here?!"" Both senpais exclaimed.

"They know each other?" Leila said out loud.

"Oh right, Aki-nee was a student at Jatkosota High for one year before she and me enrolled Kuromorimine this year." Karen revealed.

"But why?"

"Well…"

"Rumi-senpai~!" A new voice called out.

A group of three approached. A redhead wore pigtails. A blond one with short hair. The leading of the trio was the one bearing a headband with Martian antennas.

"Ah! Aki-senpai!" exclaimed the leading girl.

"Aki-senpai."

"The trickster..."

 _What are they doing here?!_

Erika could not believe with her own eyes.

 _No wait. Basing on their trickster type, I shouldn't be surprised that they would be here. However…_

"'Sup, Touko, Mikko." The former student of Jatkosota greeted her kouhai casually.

"Hello…Nakahashi-senpai." The blonde greeted timidly.

"Hello my dear Aki _Junior_."

"Aki?" "Junior?"

Erika and Miho were puzzled.

"Ah, you two are bearing the same first name!" Leila spotted out.

"You can say that."

"Don't tell me the reason Aki-senpai moved out of school was…"

"No, it's genuinely family business. Really." Karen said.

"Oho. Kuromorimine?" The antenna girl took noticed of others' presence. "You don't look that intimidating like they said."

"Hello." Miho greeted her.

"I'm called Touko."

"M-Miho. I'm Nishizumi Miho."

"Nishizumi?...you mean that Nishizumi?"

"Oh-ho! You don't look that scary at all. Not that Nishizumi-ish. I heard they call you kind, not strong." Touko began the rambling on her own.

"Fufu, not bad at all. I feel a good _flow_ from you."

"Indeed."

The voice from the dominating woman caught many by surprised.

"Wha! W-who are you?"

"I am...the team's sponsor. You may call Azure."

"Azure- _sama_ , if you would." "Be respectful!"

The underlings reminded them of their true place.

"Uwah! Who are these guys?" Touko was surprised, but showing a curious face about them.

"Are you going to fight us?" asked Aki _Junior_.

"Pity, but no. They will be the one to do it in my stead." Azure gestured her head toward the unfortunated fours.

"In _your_ stead?" Rumi repeated the last words, looking at the auburn-haired.

"It's a long story." Aki threw it in.

"What about you?" asked one of the sailors.

"...Moral support." Leila answered.

"I guess not everything was not as grace as they said." Rumi said.

"Ara~ What are you teasing with my dear kouhai here, hmm~?"

"I believe our teaching has influenced you to do to them."

"Well, you guys are a bunch of introverts."

"So what does that make us?" asked one of delinquent sailors.

"Extrovert." Azure answered.

"Hell yeah!"

"You girls are sure odd. But not as odd as those three."

Rumi looked over to the trio. The red-head was still chewing the straw. The little white-blond urged the brunette to do something, but she still playing her kantele.

"Oooh I can feel it. it's electrifying!"

 _...wait a minute. We already encountered the **final boss** of this timeline?! ! !_

Erika felt the diziness of all sudden, but she recollected herself.

 _Wait. Wait. Wait. Calm down me. They're not the final boss. It's Pravda!_

 _We do face them later in the future...but this is just too soon!_

"What's wrong, Erika-chan?" asked Leila.

"Oh! I-it's nothing."

 _Is this the best course of action?_

"We will see you on the field then."

"That's a hell of reunion party."

"And awkward as hell."

"No matter, whatever throw at us. We will advance. That's the Nishizumi Style."

"Jeez, and I thought here we would be able to establish some of our own style."

"It doens't help if we get knock out in the game."

"Man, Erika-chan must be one hell of an ice princess." Karen turned to Miho. "Don't you think so too, Miho-chan?"

"Well...haha..."

"Enough of that." Erika called out. "Miho, you should go check our tank inventory. It's your responsible as both tank commander and gunner."

"R-right. I will do that." Miho quickly returned back to the Panzer I.

"Perhaps you're trying too hard?" Aki asked Erika.

"You don't impose your good intention onto somebody when they didn't want it."

"Take it slow is a good thing. Let things go with their own flow."

 _I guess I was being…selfish…_

"But what about…Karen-senpai?" Erika asked.

"My sister is different. I will constantly harass her until my words get through her thick skull and stubbornness."

"Oi! That's called domestic violence!"

Soon the two redheads entered the arm-wrestling mode.

 _Is this team gonna be okay?_

...

...

"Now, let's make this night is our night! We are going to make a name for ourselves!" Aki declared.

"Don't forget, you girls are fighting for my name." Azure reminded them.

"And that."

"If you lose, well...Miho-chan will do her best to entertain me."

"Hey-hey, don't you dare! She is important to me."

"..."

"To us! To Kuromorimine!"

"Hmm-hmm, indeed..." She simply hid her smirk behind the paper fan.

 _Damn that snake woman. I didn't have to deal with her back in my original timeline so why do now in this one?_

 _I freaking hate time travel!_

…

…

While the team was continued the preparation, Miho observed the on-going match.

"Judging their erratic movement, I believe that they're fighting without a strategic or tactic in mind."

"Multiplayer." Karen said.

"I'm sorry?" Miho was puzzled.

"It's multiplayer!"

"At least here, you don't have to deal with a salty 12 years old screaming over the headphones." Aki said.

"True."

The two sisters simply left Miho and Leila confused. Erika, on the other hand, a revelation was illuminated in her head.

 _Multiplayer...is that how Karen-senpai was able to come up with such reckless and unorthodox plans in Sensha-do?_

"So...who's up for some scouting?"

Unexpectedly, a large number of hands raised up, including Azure and her henchmen.

…

…

"They have a T-26, Soviet light infantry tank. With the 45mm tank gun, quite a dangerous threat." Miho said as she looked through the photos taken from Karen's smart phone.

"There's another T-26...ah wait, I think that's a Vickers 6-ton Type B, equipped with a 47mm gun." Karen said.

"How come they have many tanks from other countries?" Leila asked.

"Well, their foundation was using whatever available material and resources they have for the match." Aki explained.

"Just like Ooar—ehem!" Erika quickly covered it with her forced coughing. "You mean: stealing."

"That too."

"Hmm, they also have a Panzer II as well." Erika said.

"Panzer II?" Aki asked.

"What about it?" Erika asked.

"…nothing."

Seeing this was enough, Erika turned to Miho.

"Commander Nishizumi, what are your orders?"

"Uhm…"

 _Please don't go 'What do you think we should do, Erika-san?'_

 _If you ask me that. I. Will. Kill. You!_

"..."

"We have two options here." Miho finally spoke up.

 _Thank god! She is giving the command. This is good._

"Judging the flow of match, which is rather based on the other team's impulsive decision and free style. We can have one team to act as a bait. While the other will score the kill. We have to focus on the small group at a time."

"The second option is?"

"Well…we...go out and gun blazing, like everyone else here does."

"*Whistle* Haha! I like that." "Yeah."

Both sisters and sailors agreed, looking forward to the latter.

"...before we begin. What name of the team should we come up?" Aki asked.

"Team 1 that, or team 2 that." Karen said out loud.

"Uhm, then how about…Puma—" Miho stopped.

"..." "..."

The awkward silence simply made Miho's face turning red.

"Puma team, huh? Guess we know _who_ is to blame." Karen turned toward the certain light blond-haired girl. The latter averted the siblings' eyes, making 'bad' innocent whistle.

"Then what should we call ourselves?" Leila asked.

"Erika-chan, would you do the honor?" Aki asked the mastermind.

"…"

Strangely enough, Erika didn't deny the given opportunity. She placed her hand on the chin for a few seconds before she said.

"Hamburger..."

"..." "..." "..."

The 'awkward' silence simply made Erika's face turning red.

"It's not cute at all." Leila commented.

Before Erika could make a groan...

"Let's go with that then." Miho unexpectedly agreed to it.

"Eehhhhhhhhhh~" Leila could not believe it.

"Yes! Thank you, Miho!"

 _She looks like a puppy._ They kept the thought to themselves.

"Hey, Miho-chan. And what the name of operation that you would like to come up with?" Karen continued her inquiry.

"Then...Sneaky-sneak. Since we're trying to sneak away. Then Sneaky-sneak should be it."

Erika gave a skeptical look. "Sounds...*a long pause*...good."

"Let's go with that then." Karen nodded.

"Hihi, not only she's cute, but her way of naming is adorable as well." Aki smiled.

Out of no where, Miho's face fully received the Aki's abundant breasts warmly.

"Ooooh! I want to take you home and pet you."

 _God grant me strength!_

"?" While the older auburn-haired sister was feeling odd why there was a cold shiver on her back, Karen smirked as she enjoying Erika's jealous expression.

 _She really swings that way, huh?_

...

...

"Good luck, you guys! **Fighto!** " Leila encouraged.

"Yeah! If you don't, then you know why you're born with two kidneys!" said one of the sailors.

The two Kuromorimine's light tanks slowly made to their starting point.

« And that's it, folks! One more team was scratched out from the list! But don't worry, we still have more players joining in the fray! »

« Next up we have...is...Azure Clan? And their team name are…Puma and…Hamburger? »

The announcement quickly gained the attention from the spectators.

Soon the teams bearing such name were coming into view.

"Who are those girls?" "H-hey! I recognize that school emblem. It's Kuromorimine!"

"Kuromorimine?"

"Hehe. Here they come." Mikko said, eyeing over the new challengers.

"Moo~ We should have joined the fight like senpais did." Aki Junior said.

"The wing is howling." Mika said softly as she was tapping the strings.

...

...

"There was a certain man saying this quote: it's kind of fun to do the impossible." The spirit of Erika the Radical was still burning strong inside her.

Miho simply smiled before she spoke up the two iconic words.

 **"Panzer Vor!"**

~0~

A minute went by and the trouble already greeted Hamburger team.

A whistling projectile just made a pass, near-missed Miho's head without a warning.

In the darkness, multiple flashes emitted. Then, explosions, violent shock waves, dirt was dug up.

« Woah-woah! What's going on?! Why the other teams are targeting at us? » Karen exclaimed, seeing the silhouette of light tanks making the approach toward them.

Without waiting for Miho's command, Erika put the pedal to the metal, taking them out of the danger zone.

« Puma and Hamburger team, can you hear me? »

"Azure-san?" Miho asked, hearing the familiar voice.

« I've just raised the stake for you girls. » Following Azure's voice was the energetic voice of MC.

« Come now! Come now! A new rule has just implemented by Azure-sama, of the Azure Clan! »

« Whoever knock those two Kuromorimine tanks out, they will be in their possession! It is one-time offer only, so hurry up and knock out them out. »

"Well, that's one hell of a sponsor Kuromorimine has got there." Touko commented.

With such a juicy deal on the table, they'd called madness or stupid if they passed this on.

« Let's knock them out! »

« Those tanks will be ours for the taking! »

The other school teams quickly made a silent truce as they shifted their main cannon toward the tanks bearing Kuromorimine's symbol.

For Erika, being a tactician and the commander of the team, she was quick to change the tactic whenever the situation changed, however, this was rather turned into...SNAFU.

"Fuck!" Erika hissed.

"Erika-san. Drive toward the woods." Miho immediately gave the order. "We can shake off the pursuit."

Erika obeyed the order, but she soon stated her status.

"I can barely see anything."

"It's okay. I will guide you."

"So you have experience with the night warfare?" Erika asked.

"I often rode the Panzer II with Onee-chan when I was young." Miho made a faint smile. "And my childhood friends."

...

...

« That Panzer I just got behind that cottage. » reported Type 95 Ha-Go.

« Pince them on both sides, they've got nowhere t— »

The sentence was cut abruptly as a tracer spouted from the darkness, smashed directly onto Type 95 Ha-Go's thin armor, rendering the referee system to activate the white flag.

« Ah! Coca team is down! »

The Pz 38(t) roared the engine, hoping it could charge straight and earn it kill. However, the Commander of Kuromorimine Middle-High Division team didn't give them such chance.

The second shot rendered the track came off. Then, the third shot made the while flag erected on top of their tank.

"Good shot, Miho!"

One thing for sure beside Miho's strategic mind, she was also a good gunner.

"T-Thank you."

« That Panzer I is too agile. »

« Forget it. Let's move to the next target. »

« 7TP is more desirable. »

The other light tanks quickly broke off the engagement.

...

...

"Haha! They've turned their tails. We've beaten them." Leila shouted in glee, looking through the binoculars.

While the sailors were sharing the same spirit as Leila, Azure did not.

"No. I believe they are changing their target."

...

...

"They've stopped engaging us." Miho said.

"That can be meant one thing...Puma team is in danger." Erika said.

"Puma team. Be careful, the other teams are trying to surround you!" Miho radioed in.

« Thanks for the warning, but we're _already_ surrounded. » Karen responded sarcastically.

On the other side, one lone 7TP was surrounded by multiple headlights shoving at them.

"…Oh, **come on!** " Erika groaned.

« As expected from Rumi, her style is like guerilla. » said Aki.

« To think this game over so soon. » Karen sighed.

"Oi! Don't give up so easily!" Erika shouted out.

« What do you expect us to do in this situation? Fly? » Aki asked.

"Drift and fire! Just like that _time_ you did when you fight against us!"

"Eh?" Miho was puzzled.

 _What did she just say?_

...

...

"Drift and fire?" Karen muttered, hoping Aki-nee would shed some answer. However, Aki shared the same puzzlement as her.

"Drift and fire..."

Aki then spotted a muddy pond.

"I've got an idea."

« Give it up! We have got you six to one. »

Before any tank make their move, the 7TP's driver hatch was opened, revealing the elder auburn-haired.

"Oi Rumi-chan!" Aki called out.

"W-What?" She reluctantly replied.

"I think _that_ belonged to us." Aki pointed the finger toward Rumi's (stolen) Panzer II.

"It's your imagination." Rumi quickly denied.

The two quickly gave the signal to their gunner to open fire.

Following was two cannons roared at the same time. The projectiles smashed the dirt indiscriminately.

At the same time, 7TP pulled a trick from its sleeve: Smoke screen.

The smoke put a few gunners hesitated, should they fire or not.

« Fi-fire! » One of the tanks opened fire.

The others fired the volley, but with bad timing. Despite all focused at target's location, none of those shells hit home.

« It missed?! »

Puma was continued on the move, in a wild frantically move, with its whole body was turning, spinning round and round like a spinner thanks the mud.

"T-Tulta! (F-Fire!)" Rumi gave the order.

Vickers 6-ton and T26 opened fire.

Two shells impacted up the ground, slashing up the mud.

Following was the muzzle flash from 37mm Bofors gun.

First shot. It struck Vickers 6-ton frontally. A white flag popped up.

Second shot. The shell smashed the engine deck of M1 Combat Car.

...

...

« That was a close one. » Karen breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hang on, senpai. We are coming to you." Miho said.

"Just watch out for their Bermuda Attack." Erika shared the information.

« Bermuda Attack? »

 _Oh shit! I got carried away again!_

"Well you know, their pincer attack moves or something." Erika made it up.

« I don't think Jatkosota has developed such maneuver when I was in their school. »

"Sorry, what was that? I cannot hear you over the sound of my...!"

She deliberately let the engine's sound drowned over her voice.

...

...

"They're on the move again!" said the driver.

"Hehe, that was good. But one year isn't enough for you to learn all of our tricks..." Rumi grinned.

"Get ready to fire on my command."

...

...

"They're zero-ing on us, Aki-nee." Karen reported.

"I'm gonna do what's called a Pro-Gamer move." Aki declared.

« That sounds...oddly familiar. » Erika said, feeling she has heard it somewhere.

...

...

"Got you now!" Rumi said, locking on the target through her vision. "Tulta!"

The shell launched away. However, it did not hit the target.

What came next was beyond their comprehension.

The 7TP lifted itself up, standing in fashion like a dog or cat standing on two legs.

Such scene had impressed every pair of eyes on field.

"A wheelie?!" Many exclaimed.

"Just like they did it with T28…" Erika remembered right away such sight.

"Then how about this...!" Rumi decided to follow, in the same manner.

The law of physic did not apply to those 10-ton vehicles.

"The other team also do the wheelie as well!"

"Let's dance, baby!" Rumi cried out.

"A dance of the century!" Aki said.

"Spin me 'round and 'round~" Karen sang.

"I somehow think I've lost the plot along the way now..." sighed Erika, feeling a headache.

« What the hell?! Let's get them! »

An unknown school's light tank charged in. However, the crew was shocked to see 7TP's main armament was pointing directly toward them while its whole body was still standing up.

Third shot.

"They've took out another tank while they're doing the wheelie!" Miho exclaimed. "They're incredible."

"Do all Jatkosota driver are all this good. Or are they just plain crazy?" Erika muttered to herself.

Aki stopped the wheelie, bringing the tank back to the ground. The 37mm barrel was pointing at where it wanted: the belly of Panzer II that still doing its wheelie trick.

"Infinity and..." Aki said.

"Get rekt!" finished Karen.

Forth shot. Rumi's Panzer II got flipped backward and was out of action.

Fifth shot went for the twin-turreted 7TP which simply stood there, unable to react.

"Did you see that?!"

"Yeah, the way she pulled off those moves."

"They just took out five tanks all by themselves!"

"Haha! Did you see that?" A sailor said, shaking Leila back and forth.

"I did! I did!"

Kuromorimine sailors and Leila cheered out loudly.

"Wow…" While Miho were as stunned as the spectators, Erika's face turned blue.

"Holy shit..."

 _Those two siblings are actually that **OP?!**_

 _I already anticipated their ability but this is beyond my expectation! We never put those two in one tank together, and I'd never learned such mad skill like that._

 _Kuromorimine's strategy was always prioritize leader's order and instruction._

 _But here..._

 _Never mind the tactic._

 _What matter was one's skill and will...can make a different._

 _Miho was able to do that._

 _She invoked those abilities from her friends. Friends from Ooarai._

 _That's how she was able defeated us and other schools as well._

 _But this...just like when we did when I became the commander..._

 _The squad leader's ability._

 _ _Auftragstaktik_ (mission-type tactics)._

 _One's prowess and leadership..._

 _"Having a second though on **not** wanting to keep her here?"_

Erika clenched her teeth.

"Erika! Move. Now!"

With Miho's voice, the driver quickly put her feet back to work. A shell was almost hit them.

"I've got a Renault FT-17 coming from our rear!" Miho reported.

« We also got a T-26 chasing us too. It's belonged to Jatkosota. » Karen radioed in.

"Let's keep moving. They would take us out if we stop to fire."

« It's best to take them out in the cross fire. » Karen stated, following was her big sister.

« Erika-chan. Keep moving down to the slope. »

The Hamburger dived fast thanks to the terrain. On opposite, they spotted Puma team was charging in, but toward to the certain interested point. A half-broken bridge, which conveniently had turned itself into some...elevated launching pad.

"Is she about to do what I think she's about to do?" Miho asked.

Soon enough, Miho's question was answered.

"Wee-hoo! Look at it flying!" Everyone was in awed, watching the whole action scene unfolded.

« I believe that I can flyyyy~! » Karen singed out loud.

...

...

"Lili. Halt!" Touko, the antenna girl gave the order.

T-26 was put to a stop. The gun barrel was levered up, pointing at the certain flying object.

"You're mine!"

Touko aimed at the exposed belly. However, before she could take the shot. A 7.92x94mm Patronen round scrapped a frontal cheek of the turret.

The tank commander soon learned of a new fast approaching enemy.

With another shot, Miho put T-26 out of commission.

The Kuromorimine-affiliated 7TP landed roughly back on the ground, and a new target, Renault FT-17 was within Karen's sight.

Sixth shot.

And so the last tank was knocked out.

« The match is over! All tanks are disabled! With the exception of Kuromorimine's that their tanks are still remained operational! »

"Six shots...like a revolver...a gunslinger!"

 _"The_ Gunslinger!"

The spectators went crazy, making the approach to the victorious 7TP and Panzer I.

"Moo! We should have joined the match." Aki Junior groaned.

"Indeed...but now it's not the time." Mika tapped the strings gently, however a gust of wind blew her hat away.

...

...

The Panzer I's driver exited from her hatch as soon as she stopped the vehicle.

"Hahahahahahaha!" Erika laughed out loud, never before she felt such adrenaline rush along with high peak joy. A taste of victory!

"Don't look down Kuromorimine!" Erika said from the top of her lungs with her fist raised high, earning approval cheers from spectators.

« Oi girls, let's bail. We've already drawn too much attention as it is. »

Aki's words quickly put Erika's mind back to the reality. They really couldn't afford to expose their true identity here.

Swiftly, both Kuromorimine-affiliated tanks made the escape from the curious mass.

...

...

The Puma team soon reunited with Hamburger team by the port.

"We did it!" Aki hugged Miho strongly with a thud.

"Yes. We certainly did…" Miho nodded weakly.

"What's wrong, Miho-chan? Smile more. It's all thanks to you that we've survived the night."

"Don't be so dramatic, Aki-nee." Karen said.

"It's just that...I never thought that Tankathlon was rather...this...much action and...very exciting."

"Better than Sensha-do eh?"

"Hai. (Yes.)" She smiled.

"Well done. Well done." A clapping hands as the certain blue-haired made the approach toward them.

"I'm so proud of you girls."

"Drop the act, you hypocrite! You almost got us killed!" Erika rebuked.

"I admitted I may have gone too far." Azure paid no mind. "Then again, thanks to that. Now I know how capable you guys are."

"Especially you, Miho-chan. You're having this air of innocence as first. But when you rode on the tank to fight…you turned yourself a raging killer whale."

"Or more like…Anglerfish, I would say," said Karen.

"What?" Erika was dumbfounded. Did she actually hear it right?

"What?" Karen asked.

"I-It's nothing…"

"You are so wanting!" Without a warning, Miho was locked by Azure's arms.

"It's decided. You're belonged to me now."

"Oi! Oi!"

She had to get Miho away from this woman!

"Wasn't the deal for us to get away from you!?"

"Indeed it was...And I've honored that. But this is entirely different." Azure said smoothly like a trickster.

"Miho is not yours to keep. If anything, she _is_ mine!"

"..." "..." "..."

The awkward silence along with the smirk from Azure had made Erika soon comprehend the meaning of what she had blurted out.

She turned herself into a tomato.

"I mean…it's what I said. Miho is…Miho! She is not yours to keep!"

"Hehe." Karen giggled.

"Hey. What happened to your sister?" One of the sailors asked Aki who noticed Karen was looking at the jealous Erika with interested.

"...Gay plus one." Aki said.

Azure soon detached herself from Miho.

"True like you said. But don't worry." Azure opened her fan to cool herself. "I'm sure I'll see you soon."

"Let's go, girls."

Azure's henchmen soon followed.

"Wait. Ain't you going to take us back?" asked Leila.

"Well, as you know. We aren't JSDF. We leave everyone behind."

Leila and the others quickly learned that they must get their tank onto the ferry. Or else...

And so, the night was ended with a good note for Kuromorimine's sneaky students.

~0~

« Tiit—Tiit—Tiit—! »

After the clock ended its tune by a striking hand, the light blond-haired girl slowly emerged from her slumber.

Her body felt refreshed as she was stretching up both of her arms, rotated her upper body from left to right.

"It's hard to be believe that all of it had happened just in that night."

Even now, Erika felt the adrenaline was still remained in her system.

"Anyway, let's go to school."

~0~

It's a normal day like any other day. However, to Erika's curiosity, there's a large group of students gathered in front of news board.

 _What kind of event is this? ...I didn't remember something like this had happened._

With a sense of curiousity, she decided to see what's on the board.

"Hey. It's her! It's her!" A student's voice prompted all to look at the approaching person, namely, Erika Itsumi.

 _What...what's going on?_

Erika was…overwhelmed to see that everyone..., _everyone_ was literally looking at her with both surprised and amazed like she was...something.

And Erika soon learned why.

On the board, there were a number of photos, they captured the moment when Erika showed herself by Panzer I with a raised fist in the air. Miho's face was in the picture as well.

This was a concrete evidence showing that they've participated the Tankalthon.

"Ooh..."

 _I should have seen this coming…shouldn't I?_

« Erika Itsumi. Please come to the Disciplinary office. » A cold emotionless voice spoke over the speaker.

As the voice was repeating Erika's name, four girls dressed in yellow uniform along with distinctive gorget already appeared behind her.

"...Fuck."

…

…

Eerie and chilly.

It's all Erika could make the impression out of it, the dark room where she was placed in.

It's an interrogation room. The one you already saw it from anime, manga, or movie. It had a large table. There's a lamb that can be used to shoved its light onto the suspect's face.

"Erika Itsumi. Am I correct?" asked a Disciplinary member whom face was well-remembered.

"Yes, Abe-senpai…"

Abe Mamori. As far as she remembered, she certainly bearing the strict attitude.

Behind those cold red-frame glasses, _she_ was a delinquent.

"The one on these photos. This is you, am I correct?" Abe asked, tapping her finger onto the said pictures that captured Erika.

"Yes."

"Not only you've broken the curfew. Which is a serious infringement of school regulations. But you took the Panzer I for to participate that match...called..." Abe stopped, trying to find the word to say.

"Tankathlon." Erika helped out.

" **That!** Tankathlon. An unofficial spot. And you dare to use Kuromorimine's property to fulfill your own entertainment."

"Worst of all that you took Miho Nishizumi…" She stopped there.

"If anything else went further, this will go far beyond just breaking school rules."

 _They're seemed want to strike me out from their own angle. Nishizumi Miho...was rather a sensitive subject now._

 _Right...how do I bullshit my way out of this?_

Unfortunately, Erika had no plan how to get her out of this situation. The questions from Mamori Abe kept coming in.

"Why did you do it?"

"What is your plan?"

"Why did you actively make an approach to Miho Nishizumi?"

 _Why?_

 _Why..._

 _It's because I admired her._

 _It's because she had saved me._

 _It's because she was the one I look up to._

 _ _It's because I wanted to protect her.__

 _ _It's because...__

 _ _'You actually haven't changed at all__ _ _ _ _, Itsumi-san__. You're still you.'__

"It's because I like her."

They're merely the words spoke out unconsciously that she wasn't even aware of it.

"..."

"..."

A noise echoed, it was the sound of a pen hit on the floor.

The determine face soon shifted a white pale, realizing the deed she has done.

 _I...I said it out loud..._

"..."

 _It's like a confession!_

"W-what a stupid thing to say!" Abe shouted out as her face was flustered. Not in a sense of anger, but embarrassed.

"You're still young you know. Focus your own study at hand!"

Then came a ringing tune from her phone.

The interrogator soon left the room without saying another word.

"..."

Erika leaned hard to the chair, feeling this kind of hot air expelled from her body.

She then heard some voices behind the door. It's hard to make out what they're saying.

A moment later, she could tell that the guards (presumably) relocated themselves to elsewhere. The door was opened once more, revealing a face that she did not expect (or she should have seen this coming).

"Hey Erika-chan."

"K-Karen-senpai? What are you doing here?"

"Breaking you out." She gestured as she was keeping the door opened. "C'mon."

...

...

Erika and Karen simply walked out of the so-called Morals Disciplinary Committee HQ and returned back to the familiar scenery of the school yard.

"...how didn't we get stop by anyone on the way?" Erika asked, remembering one encounter that a few girls actually ignored them.

"It's a trade secret." Karen said it coolly.

"Does it have something to do with that _certain_ black note of yours?"

"Ah-ha! You're certainly more than meets the eyes." Karen smiled. "Aki-nee has pulled out a few strings. Anyway, they'll let you off the hook with a warning. Have to watch out for Mamori-san though."

"Eh? Mamori- _san_? Not Mamo-ch—" Erika quickly stopped, realizing the relationship between the two wasn't that close yet.

"Hmm?"

"Uhm! T-thank you, I own you one, senpai." Erika bowed.

"Don't mention it." Karen giggled before she continued.

"You know. this might be a bit farfetched but if you ever become a Commander. I'd gladly fight for you."

"Consider that's a norm."

"Damn, you're getting ambitious there. But I'm looking forward to it. To be honest, I thought the years ahead would be dulled once Aki-nee is graduated from here. I guess there's something worthwhile here after all."

~0~

From Morals Disciplinary Committee Office back to the class, Erika was fortunate that she didn't encounter anyone on the way.

However, when she finally arrived before her classroom's door, Erika simply stood there as she was hesitated to open it.

Multiple 'bad' scenarios were running in her head. Will she be resented by her class? Or will she receive some silence treatment, treating her like the air?

"…Oh, screw it!"

She opened the door.

Mentally prepared and anticipated, everyone in class all turned their head, silently watching Erika returns to her seat.

As soon as Erika's bottoms were placed on her chair, the whole class immediately went wild with scream and cheers, stunning Erika who was rather unprepared for this.

"Erika-san! You're so cool!" The girls quickly surrounded her.

"That maneuver. Those moves. Where did you learn to do that?"

"You and Nishizumi-san are so badass!"

"You guys...saw it?" She asked.

"On the internet, yeah! You guys are soooo… ** _cool!_** _"_

"Crazy!"

"Insane!"

"Badass!"

 _Ok, this is different._

 _But what about Leila?_

Erika turned to her childhood friend, only to see her was making innocent whistle, or rather, a somewhat jealous face.

"I've become your number one fan now!"

A girl boldly took a hold of Erika's hands.

"Hey, don't cut in line. **I'm** her number one fan!" Leila stood up from her seat. Her burning eyes demanded that girl to stop what she's doing.

"Erika-san." A student tapped her shoulder, pointing the finger to the door.

"Over there."

It's Miho standing by the door.

Even though in the hallway there were just two of them, many pair of eyes were watching them from the classroom. Not just her classroom, but from other class as well.

"You're alright?" Erika asked first.

"I'm fine. Did they treat you...not too badly?"

"Well, they bark worse than their bite." Erika made light of what she'd gone through, however, Miho was grimaced.

"I'm fine. No need to worry about." She reassured her.

"Oh, okay..."

"Sorry. I guess I've caused you a lot of troubles." Erika apologized with a bow.

"No-no-no! Not at all!" Miho profusely denied. "It's fun, really!"

"It's been too long since I've...enjoy the...tanks like that."

Miho placed a hand on her fast-beating heart.

"And I...I..." She stopped there, as her face was turning quite red.

"Are you alright? You look like you have a fever."

Erika stretched her hand out toward Miho, but the latter quickly jerked her head back away out of reflexive.

"Ah no! I'm alright, really!" Miho quickly denied with both waving hands.

"I gotta go now! S-see you later!"

With that, Miho bolted away.

The skit was witnessed by the whole class, with one particular twin-tailed girl having waters around her eyes.

Not a moment too soon, a ring tone came in.

"A phone call. Aki-senpai?" Erika soon pressed the button.

"Hell—"

« Erika-chan! RUN! Get out of school while you still can! »

She was stunned momentary by the outburst.

 _It's Aki's voice, she sounded…serious._

"Wha-what happened?"

« That sis-con—I mean, Commander Nishizumi! She is out to **kill** you! »

...

* * *

 **In my own point of view, I believe in there's two types of writer. The first one is who is very happy with number of Favs and Follows going up in their story.**

 **And there's the one who is _actually_ scared of seeing those numbers going up.**

 **Never thought that I'd be the latter...But I appreciated your support to the story, I mean it!  
**

 **I apologize if this long-awaited chapter isn't contended to your...expectation. This whole story really started with one crazy idea after all.**

 **Inner me: Crazy idea flourished. Now all you need is...melon! I mean, lemon.**

 **Me: Ahh, where is the pure love that I seek?**

 **Inner me: Well, trap works fine too.**

 **Me: ...you need help.**

 **Inner me: No. I don't think I will *pull out the lute and play the song***

 **...**

 ** _When a humble bard  
Graced a ride along  
With Zaochron333  
Along came this song._**

 ** _From when the author fought  
A bricked writer-block,  
His words of grammar  
On his keyboard did they reveal_**

 ** _They came after me  
With sleepless night  
Broke down my imagination  
And they shut my eyes_**

 ** _While the reality's suck  
Minced our tender mind  
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It can't be stop_**

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High up on the Doc  
From whence it came_**

 ** _He wiped out your boredom,  
Got kicked in his head,  
He's a viewer of juicy memes  
So give him the rest._**

 ** _That's my epic tale,  
An author prevailed  
Finished a chapter,  
Now pour him some coffee!_**

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 ** _..._**


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